Ludlow Griscom Award


The Ludlow Griscom Award for Outstanding Contributions in Regional Ornithology is an award bestowed by the American Birding Association upon individuals who are determined to have "dramatically advanced the state of ornithological knowledge for a particular region," through long-term studies of status and distribution, the writing and/or publication of field guides to birds of a certain area, work as part of a breeding bird atlas project, through the publishing of academic papers on regional ornithology, or through their efforts in inspiring and teaching about the subject of birding.
One of five awards presented by the ABA for contributions to ornithology, the award is named after Ludlow Griscom, considered the "Dean of the Birdwatchers", a pioneer in field ornithology, and one of the first ornithologists to stress the importance of identification of birds in the field as opposed to the collection of specimens. The Ludlow Griscom Award was first presented to Roger Tory Peterson, considered the father of the modern field guide, in 1980. In its early years, the award was more broadly designated to recognize "outstanding contributions to excellence in field birding." After being awarded in 1981, it was awarded biennially from 1984 to 1998; since then, it has been awarded on an annual basis.

List of winners

Since the award's inception in 1980, there have been 34 recipients, including several years in which more than one award was given.
YearNameNotes
1980Roger Tory PetersonABA also grants the Roger Tory Peterson Award
1981Olin Sewall Pettingill, Jr.
1984Chandler RobbinsABA also grants the Chandler Robbins Award
1986Jim Lane
1988Susan Roney Drennan
1990Guy McCaskie
1992Kenn KaufmanYoungest award winner
1994Theodore A. Parker IIIPosthumous award
1996Richard Pough
1998Claudia WildsPosthumous award; ABA also grants the Claudia Wilds Award
1999Stuart KeithFirst president of the ABA
2000W. Earl Godfrey
2001Peter Pyle
2002Rich Stallcup
2003Bob and Martha Sargent
2004Bret Whitney
2005Wayne R. Petersen
2006James Dinsmore
2007Ruth Green
2008Bill Fenimore
2009Jim McCormac
2010Joseph Morlan
2011Tom Rusert
2012Mark Lockwood
2012Ian A. McLaren
2013Geoffrey Williamson
2014Kenneth Brock
2014Tom Kent
2015Dale Zimmerman
2016Keith Russell
2018Debra Love Shearwater
2018Alan R. Smith
2018Daphne Gemmill