Golden-winged Award
A Sponsored Pass to Attend the Festival
A participation pass for adults (age 18+) is designed to grant an immersive Festival experience to selected recipients and allow the NRBNF Community the opportunity to sponsor the Awards. Far more than a recreational outing, this is an immersive educational and relationship building experience that transforms how we engage with ecology, community science, and conservation.
The Package: Half-week at Hawks Nest Lodge
• Inclusions: Four (4) nights lodging at Hawks Nest State Park Lodge, three (3) days of daily nature excursions, three (3) meals each day, afternoon refreshments and presentations at Opossum Creek Retreat - same as all guests with half-week packages and lodging at Hawks Nest.
• Scheduling: The recipient chooses which half of the week to attend: Monday through Wednesday OR Thursday through Saturday. Lodging begins the afternoon before their first field trip, and ends the morning after their last field trip.
• Field Trips: Field trips are by assignment; selected for the recipients based upon trip availability with priority given to maximizing an ecologically diverse experience.
• Funding: Awards are granted as funding is available. Limited to no more than two (2) individual awards per Festival year. Awards are one-time only. Recipients may be nominated again.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered, an individual must:
• be nominated from within the NRBNF community.
• be 18 years of age or older.
• have never previously attended the Festival.
• demonstrate participation in a community birding or nature program.
• demonstrate financial need.
• provide/arrange their own transportation (field trip transportation is provided from/to Burnwood rendezvous point).
Nomination & Application
Requires a nomination from within the NRBNF community and a letter of interest submitted by the potential recipient stating financial need.
Form: Nomination Form. Note Regarding Financial Need - We may ask questions, such as: • are they a full-time student, working part-time, or currently transitionally unemployed. • optional check-boxes for annual income brackets (e.g., Under $30k, $30k–$50k; $50k+). • a single, open-ended question, like: "How would receiving this scholarship impact you?" Or, “What does the opportunity to attend the Festival mean to you?” • allow them to mention if they are working under a modest budget at a non-profit, a community nature program, or an underfunded school.
Selection Protocol & Ethics
To ensure absolute integrity and transparency, the selection process is governed by strict conflict-of-interest guidelines:
• Selection Panel: Recipient selection is made entirely by a confidential panel of NRBNF veteran attendees.
• Independence: In no instance does any staff member, guide, host, or volunteer of the Fayette County Education Fund, Inc. (FCEF) or NRBNF play a part in recipient selection.
• Exclusions: No family member of any staff, guide, host, volunteer, or selection panel member may be considered for the award.
• Confidentiality & Anonymity: Selection Panel identities are confidential. Potential recipients and awarded recipient identities are confidential. While the existence of the Award and Selection Panel are publicly announced and discussed, individual names remain anonymous outside of the Selection Panel and Coordinators. If a Panelist or recipient wants to share their own name, they may.
• Finality: Not all nominees/applicants will be selected. The Selection Panel’s decision is final.
Process & Timeline
Previous nominations that weren't awarded may be resubmitted again for the next round. Nominee information is not saved.
• October 1 – November 23 | Submission Window: Nominations and letters of interest demonstrating eligibility must be received by the Coordinator via form submission on birding-wv.com for the upcoming Festival.
• November 24 – November 30 | Compilation: Coordinator compiles all nominee information and forwards it to the Selection Panel by December 1. • • • December 1 – December 14 | Panel Deliberations: Selection Panel conducts confidential deliberations and communicates their final award decision to the Coordinator by December 14.
• December 15 – December 31 | Notification: Coordinator notifies the recipient(s). The recipient must select their preferred half-week dates (First-half vs. Second-half) before December 31.
• January 1 – January 31 | Finalization: Daily field trip selections and event participation details are finalized and officially communicated to the recipient.
Sponsor an Award
Details are underway!