The Partners in Flight awards program recognizes exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation. Nominees who have furthered the goal of protecting migratory and resident landbirds and their habitats will be evaluated for their effective public awareness activities, innovative leadership, insightful ecological investigation, or sound land stewardship.

Partners in Flight has been recognizing outstanding individuals and groups for their efforts in landbird conservation and management since 1996. Nominations are evaluated by a committee, and awardees are recognized and presented with awards annually at an appropriate national or international conference.

Download Awards Guidelines as Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

PIF Award Nomination Form (PDF)

Partners in Flight takes pride in recognizing outstanding individuals or groups for their efforts. As such, we have assembled an Awards Committee with a broad range of experience and expertise within the bird conservation community. The Awards Co-Chair is responsible for announcing the awards process, soliciting nominations from the birding community, and managing the review and selection of nominees for awards by the committee. The committee members vote individually and make their recommendations to the Co-Chair. Once all votes are compiled, the committee arrives at a consensus for all award winners. The committee reserves the right to reassign a nomination to a different category from which the nomination was originally submitted. To be eligible, projects or activities must have been initiated after 1990.

PIF Award Categories. The Partners in Flight Awards Program is designed to provide recognition of work in the area of bird conservation and management in four categories. Eligible nominations will be accepted for individuals or groups from the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean in the following categories:

Leadership: An individual or group that demonstrates outstanding guidance and direction that contributes, or has contributed to, advancing PIF conservation efforts. This award can apply to a range of levels, from individual projects to large programmatic efforts, but should have far-reaching implications at least at the physiographic area level. Examples could include creation of or participation in significant partnerships, demonstration of leadership skills at a regional or national level, or coordinating groups and individuals with diverse interests and expertise to effectively implement bird conservation planning.

Investigations: An individual or group that contributes outstanding research or scientific data that improves our understanding of avian ecology, habitat management, or other scientific factors important to the PIF initiative. Important criteria include the advancement of research or refinement of inventory and monitoring procedures. These efforts should be applicable to regional, national or international conservation efforts, with a focus on priority bird species and habitats.

Public Awareness: Activities by an individual or group that contribute significantly to increasing the publics awareness and appreciation for birds, their habitats, or the need for conservation. Proposals will be judged based on the development of outreach efforts that enlist volunteers and promote public education. Emphasis will be placed on the effectiveness of the nominee to reach beyond the local level to a physiographic area, state, or national level.

Stewardship: An individual or organization that contributes significantly to the management, conservation, or restoration of habitat for landbirds. Important criteria could include incorporation of a priority habitat in a stewardship program, designation of protected status for a reserve, designation of Important Bird Areas, development and implementation of Bird Conservation Plans, or conservation of significant stopover habitat.

Award recipients are presented their award in front of an audience of their peers. Past ceremonies have been conducted at Partners in Flight International Workshops (e.g., Asilomar, CA, in 2002) and at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Various types of awards have been presented, but have always included beautiful representations of wildlife through prints or wood carvings.

Nominators may download a nomination form from this page. Please submit one form for each nomination. If you nominate one person or group in more than one category please send in separate forms and explain what your nominee has accomplished in each category. Completed nomination packages are due to the Awards Co-Chair each year by December 15th. Recipients are typically announced in March of the following year at an appropriate forum as mentioned above.

2011 PIF Award Winners
2010 PIF Award Winners
2009 PIF Award Winners
2008 PIF Award Winners
2007 PIF Award Winners
2006 PIF Award Winners
2005 PIF Award Winners
2004 PIF Award Winners
2003 PIF Award Winners
2002 PIF Award Winners
2001 PIF Award Winners

Summary - PIF Award Winners 1995 - 2009

We would like to thank Rich Fischer for serving as chair of the PIF Awards Committee for 11 YEARS! The PIF Awards are so important for recognizing the incredible work going on nationally and internationally on behalf of migratory birds. We appreciate Rich’s dedication, hard work, and time invested. Rich did a fantastic job of organizing nominations, creating a workable and effective system, and refining the criteria we consider in ranking the awards. Not only did he run the program, Rich also located the artist who has done the wonderful bird carvings for us for some time now. They are, without a doubt, the favorite award out there.

For More Information, Contact:

Joni Ellis
352-262-7300
Joni@OpticsfortheTropics.org

Susan Bonfield 970-393-1183
sbonfield@birdday.org

Last Updated: 11/02/2012

Home || What is PIF? || Que es Compañeros en Vuelo? || PIF Bird Conservation Plans || PIF Maps
PIF Species Assessment || Research and Monitoring Needs   PIF Newsletter || La Tangara ||
International Migratory Bird Day || PIF Regional Working Groups || PIF Technical Series Publications
Other PIF-Related Publications || Education Resources || Other PIF Resources || PIF Contacts