The AOS Conservation Practitioner Award, new in 2023, recognizes a biologist at any stage of their career, or group of biologists for outstanding work in government agencies (from municipal, state, provincial, federal, or international levels) or non-government organizations to further the conservation of birds. This award acknowledges the planning, on-the-ground, or day-to-day work of dedicated professionals addressing avian conservation issues at a local or regional scale. The award consists of a certificate and $1,000 honorarium. The awardee is selected annually by the AOS Conservation Award Committee. All award nominees are expected to have a high standard of ethical and social behavior that is strongly aligned with the AOS Code of Conduct & Ethics.
Submit a nomination
Nominations for the AOS Conservation Awards will open on 30 September and close on 15 December at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Nominations must be submitted through the AOS Member Portal.
- The page linked above will direct you to a login screen. If you have previously created an account in our Member Portal, enter your user name and password. After logging in, you will be redirected to the Conservation Award nomination page.
- If you have not previously created an account, click Register Now on the lower right to set up your profile.
To submit a nomination for the Conservation Practitioner Award, you will need to upload 1) a support letter (no more than 2 pages) summarizing your nominee’s contributions to avian conservation and why they should be recognized with the award, and 2) a current CV of the nominee.
Past Conservation Practitioner Award Recipients
2026 Janell Brush & Audrey DeRose-Wilson
2025 Felicia Sanders
2024 Nestor Fariña & Olga Esther Villaba
2023 (Inaugural) Jennie Duberstein, Coordinator, Sonoran Joint Venture