Wesley Lanyon Award Grant

Wesley Lanyon Award Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: American Ornithological Society
Amount: US $2,500
Last Updated: January 13, 2026

Summary

The Wesley Lanyon Award, presented by the American Ornithological Society, honors early-career ornithologists for the best integrative avian science review paper published in AOS journals. With a $1,500 honorarium and $1,000 travel stipend, this biennial award encourages doctoral students and recent Ph.D. graduates to contribute novel insights to ornithology. Winners can organize a symposium at the AOS annual meeting, fostering collaboration and advancing research in the field.

Overview

Wesley Lanyon Award The American Ornithological Society’s (AOS’s) Wesley Lanyon Award recognizes the early-career ornithologist who authored the best integrative avian science review paper published in either AOS journal (Ornithology or Ornithological Applications). The award is offered every two years and is given in honor of Wesley “Bud” Lanyon, who served as the 37th President of the American Ornithologists’ Union. Bud was a steadfast and committed leader in the field of ornithology and a respected mentor of many generations of scientists. He was particularly keen to support researchers in the midst of writing their dissertations and those who had recently completed their Ph.D.s, recognizing that they possess a thorough understanding of the current literature and are poised to provide novel insights into classic areas of ornithology and to elucidate emerging fields of study. The 2027 Wesley Lanyon Award provides a $1,500 honorarium to the winner, as well as a $1,000 travel stipend and gratis registration to attend the 2027 AOS annual meeting, for which the winner may organize a symposium on their winning review topic. The winner will be announced to the public as soon as the winning paper is selected and the award will be conferred at the meeting. All award nominees are expected to have a high standard of behavior that is aligned with the AOS Code of Conduct & Ethics. Call for Papers The AOS is excited to announce a Call for Papers for the current cycle of the Wesley Lanyon Award, a publication award for the best review paper authored by an early-career researcher. The 2027 Wesley Lanyon Award will be selected from eligible review papers published in 2025 or 2026. It will provide a $1,500 honorarium to the winner, a $1,000 travel stipend, and free registration to attend the 2027 AOS Annual Meeting, for which the winner may organize a symposium on their winning review topic. Early-career AOS members are eligible for this award if they are doctoral students or within three years of earning the Ph.D. at the time that the article is submitted (an extra year of eligibility may be granted for parental or medical leave). Review papers may be published in Ornithology or Ornithological Applications.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible applicants include AOS members who are doctoral students or early professionals within three years of earning their Ph.D. at the time that the article is submitted (an extra year of eligibility may be granted for parental leave).Proposed papers should fit the journals’ mission and scope. They should be novel, integrative reviews that advance ornithology, not simply a review of a body of literature.The prize will be awarded to the first author of the review paper. Papers with multiple authors must include a statement that the first author conceived the study and did most of the research and writing. An applicant may only submit one first-authored proposal per award cycle.The EICs and Senior Editors will select a winner from all review papers whose first authors are early-career researchers during the two calendar years preceding the award year (for the 2027 award, this includes all papers accepted during 2025 and 2026). The winner will have the opportunity to organize a symposium at the next AOS annual meeting. The winner will be announced to the public as soon as the winning paper is selected, and the award will be conferred at the next AOS annual meeting.Each award cycle is two years to allow sufficient time for manuscript preparation, peer review, revisions, and symposium planning. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Eligible applicants include AOS members who are doctoral students or early professionals within three years of earning their Ph.D. at the time that the article is submitted (an extra year of eligibility may be granted for parental leave).

Ineligibility

Note that the prize will not be awarded if no submitted papers are deemed suitable for publication.