The purpose of the World Owl Hall of Fame is to bring public recognition to the owls and humans who have done great things to make this world a better place for owls. Three types of awards are given out each year: the Lady Gray'l Award (for owls), the Champion of Owls Award (for humans), and the Special Achievement Award (for humans).

The Lady Gray'l Award is named for a Great Gray Owl who spent 21 years working with Dr. Robert Nero in Canada touching the lives of untold thousands of people and giving researchers new insights into the life of the Great Gray Owl. This award was established in her honor to recognize other owls that have made significant impacts on the world in multiple fields such as education, research, changing negative cultural attitudes, specific conservation measures, rehabilitation techniques, and/or legislation. (Simply reaching a large number of people through educational programs does not qualify an owl for this award--they must also have demonstrated impact in other fields.)

The Champion of Owls Award is given to humans who have had a broad geographical impact, usually at least continent-wide, on owls in multiple fields such as conservation, science, legislation, education, and/or rehabilitation, usually over a lifetime (20+ years of work with owls).

Starting in 2008, the Special Achievement Award was instituted. This award is for humans who have made a significant contribution to owls through a specific project or for efforts in a specific geographic area. The Special Achievement Awards are sponsored by the Global Owl Project.

Nomination Instructions
  • Anyone may submit a nomination.
  • Nominations will be held and considered for a period of three years without the need for resubmission.
  • If multiple nominations are received for a single individual, only the strongest nomination will be forwarded to the judges for consideration.
  • When filling out an application it is important to include numerical data as well as a compelling discussion about why the world is a better place for owls because of the individual.
  • Award nominees may reside anywhere in the world.
  • Both living and deceased owls and humans may be nominated.
  • Nomination forms may be downloaded as Microsoft Word documents. Filled out forms may not exceed three pages in length (including the first page of information) with one inch margins and 11 point Arial font. Questions may not be deleted. A separate attachment listing publications may be included for Champion of Owls and Special Achievement Award nominations.
  • E-mail submission of nominations is preferred, but traditional mail is also acceptable.
  • Nominations must be received by 31 August 2026 to be considered for the 2027 awards. Late nominations will be considered for the 2028 awards.
  • Award winners notified in November 2026.
  • Awards will be presented in March 2027 at the International Festival of Owls in Houston, Minnesota, USA.
  • Photos and a narrative of main accomplishments will be requested for award winners. These will be used for World Owl Hall of Fame promotions and posted on the International Festival of Owls website.
  • Winners will receive a physical award.
  • Nominations should be directed to:
International Owl Center
PO Box 536
Houston, MN 55943
USA
507-896-OWLS (6957)
email

Lady Gray'l Award Nomination Form.doc
Champion of Owls and Special Achievement Nomination Form.doc
(We will decide which award category is most appropriate for your human nominee.)

CHAMPION OF OWLS AWARD WINNERS:
2006: Kay McKeever, Canada
2006: Bob Nero, Canada
2007: Tony Warburton, UK
2008: C. Stuart Houston, Canada
2009: Jim Duncan, Canada
2010: David Johnson, USA
2011: Claus Koenig, Germany
2012: Denver Holt, USA
2013: Wolfgang Scherzinger, Germany
2014: Heimo Mikkola, Finland
2015: Karel Voous, The Netherlands
2016: Pertti Saurola, Finland
2017: Rocky Gutierrez, USA
2018: Erkki Korpimäki, Finland
2019: Paula Enriquez, Mexico
2020: Norman Smith, USA
2021: Alexandre Roulin, Switzerland
2022: Prachi Mehta, India
2023: none
2024: Roar Solheim, Norway
2025: Scott Rashid, USA
2026: Alan Sieradzki, UK

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS:
2008: Richard Clark, USA
2008: Johan de Jong, The Netherlands
2008: Paul Muriithi Kubuthu, Kenya
2008: Dean Lewis, Australia
2009: Gary Duke, USA
2010: Colin Shawyer, UK
2011: Raju Acharya, Nepal
2012: Michael Wink, Germany
2012: Carlos & Donna Royal, USA
2013: Ana Trejo, Argentina
2013: Lucia Liu Severinghaus, Taiwan
2014: Motti Charter, Israel
2015: Carl Marti, USA
2015: Marco Mastrorilli, Italy
2015: Sam & Bob Fox and Greg Clark, USA
2016: Ronald van Harxen & Pascal Stroeken, The Netherlands
2016: Friedhelm Weick, Germany
2017: Jonathan Slaght, USA
2017: Sumio Yamamoto, Japan
2018: Jonathan Haw, South Africa
2018: Lisa Owens Viani, USA
2019: Richard Raid, USA
2020: Frederick Gelbach, USA
2020: Fred Koning, The Netherlands
2020: Yadav Ghimirey, Nepal
2021: Satish Pande, India
2021: Karla Bloem, USA
2022: Milan Ružić, Serbia
2023: none
2024: Martin Šálek, Czechia
2025: Rudolf Schaaf, Germany
2026: Marjon Savelsberg, The Netherlands

LADY GRAY'L AWARD WINNERS:
2006: Fat Broad, Spotted Owl, USA
2007: Owly, Short-eared Owl, USA
2008: Mozart, Eurasian Eagle Owl, UK
2009: Georgie, Western Barn Owl, UK
2010: Alice, Great Horned Owl, USA
2011: Barnaby, Western Barn Owl, UK
2012: Pot Plant Owl, Spotted Eagle Owl, South Africa
2013: Bundi, Verreaux's Eagle Owl, Kenya
2014: none
2015: Don, Blakison's Fish Owl, Japan
2016: Nemo, Long-eared Owl, Canada
2016: Dudley, Great Horned Owl, USA
2017 - 2025: none
2026: Flaco, Eurasian Eagle Owl, USA