The Lepidopterists' Society has a history of providing several prestigious awards for accomplishments related to the study of Lepidoptera and contributions to the Society. The various awards are outlined here.

Honorary Life Membership

The Honorary Life Membership in The Lepidopterists' Society is awarded primarily for contributions to the Society.

Student Awards

The Harry K. Clench Award is presented for the best talk in the student competition. A second place has also been awarded in recent years.

The Alexander B. Klots Award is presented for the best poster in the student competition. A second place has also been awarded in recent years.

Ron Leuschner Memorial Fund for Research on the Lepidoptera

Initated in 2018, The Lepidopterists’ Society will establish the Ron Leuschner Memorial Fund for Research on the Lepidoptera. Each year, the Society will fund up to 3 grants for up to $1,000 each to undergraduate or graduate students depending on merit. Applicants must be members of the Lepidopterists’ Society. The application is due January 15 annually and must include submission of the application form, a brief (500 word maximum) proposal, and a letter of recommendation or support from the student’s academic advisor or major professor. Successful applicants will be notified by March 15. The review committee consists of members of the Lepidopterists’ Society, including the previous year's successful candidates (who are thus not eligible for a new award in the subsequent year’s competition). Award recipients will be expected to produce a short report for the committee at the conclusion of their year of funding, which summarizes the positive impact of the award on their research. Recipients must also acknowledge the Fund's support in any publications arising out of the funded work.

Download the Leuschner Memorial Fund Application Here

Bryant Mather Travel Award

During the Executive Council meeting at the 2012 Lepidopterists’ Society meeting in Denver, Colorado, the idea of providing financial aid to individuals wishing to travel to, and present at, the Annual Meeting was discussed and the following motion was adopted: “The Society will provide up to $1,000 to be divided among winning member applicants for money to travel and present (poster or talk) at the 2013 meeting in Gainesville, FL. This award shall be known as the Bryant Mather Award, and applications will be evaluated by the Awards Committee in time to notify winners as they make arrangements to travel to the Gainesville meeting.” The award is named in honor of the late Bryant Mather, a long-time Society Member and financial benefactor. During the 2013 meeting, the Executive Council voted to extend this award for the next five years.

Mix Family Award for Contributions in Lepidoptera

In honor of Nancy, John, Lin, and Joe Mix, the Lepidopterists’ Society is pleased to announce the establishment of the "Mix Family Award for Contributions in Lepidoptera." This award will be used to honor an amateur lepidopterist (someone not professionally employed as an entomologist) who has contributed the most to the field of Lepidoptera in the view of the Awards Committee. Outstanding short-term or long-term accomplishments will be considered, and may include contributions to outreach and education, collaboration with colleagues, novel research and discoveries, building an accessible research collection, or leadership within the Society. Nominations are allowed from any member of the Lepidopterists’ Society and the nominee must also be a member of the Society in good standing.

This annual award is funded by a very generous monetary donation from Steve Mix that is designated specifically for this award. Award recipients will receive a check for $1,000 and a plaque that will be presented at the banquet at the Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society. The award will be presented to a single recipient, and any person who receives the award is not eligible to be nominated again for at least 5 years. It is estimated that the initial donation will be sufficient to sustain this award for at least 20 years. In the event that the award fund is reduced to the point where the award cannot be sustained, the Executive Council will determine if the award will continue.

Karl Jordan Medal

Note: As of March 18, 2021, nominations are closed for the current Karl Jordan Medal award.

Started in 1972, in recognition of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Lepidopterists' Society, Mr. A. C. Allyn offered to fund such an award through the Allyn Museum of Entomology, Sarasota, Florida. This offer was accepted by the Executive Council and the members in attendance at the Annual Meeting of the Society in San Antonio, Texas. The award to be given by the Lepidopterists' Society in recognition of outstanding original research in lepidopterology will emphasize particularly the fields of morphology, taxonomy, zoogeography and what was once known as "natural history." These fields are the ones in the study of Lepidoptera that are currently poorly supported and not "popular;" it is hoped that the establishment of this award may encourage workers to do meaningful research along these lines. The prize will consist of an engraved silver medal of appropriate design, a $1,000.00 cash award and travel expenses for the recipient(s) to accept the award at the particular year's Annual Meeting of the Society. The criteria emphasizes that the award may be based on a single piece of research or on a series of interrelated works. Prior award winners include:

Henri Stempfer (1973)
Frederick Stehr (1974)
Donald R. Davis (1977)
Pierre E. L. Viette (1978)
J. F. Gates Clarke (1979)
Keith S. Brown, Jr. (1980)
Jerry A. Powell (1982)
Elwood Curtin Zimmerman (1983)
David Francis Hardwick (1984)
John Neville Eliot (1985)
Frederick H. Rindge (1986)
Niels P. Kristensen (1988)
Phillip R. Ackery and Richard I. Vane-Wright (1989)
Ebbe Schmidt-Nielsen (1990)
Jeremy D. Holloway (1995)
Ian Francis Bell Common (1996)
Ronald Hodges (1997)
Claude Lemaire (1999)
Tosio Kumata (2000)
Malcolm J. Scoble (2002)
Eugene G. Munroe (2004)
[No award in 2006]
Gaden S. Robinson (2008)
J. Donald Lafontaine (2011)
James S. Miller (2013)
Ted Edwards (2015)
Phillip J. DeVries (2017)
Marianne Horak (2019)