NAMA Awards

Award criteria and recipients can be found below. To see profiles of previous award recipients, click on the corresponding category link.

Gary Lincoff Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology

NAMA’s Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology is given annually to recognize a person who has contributed extraordinarily to the advancement of amateur mycology. Its recipients have often extensively conducted workshops, led forays, written or lectured widely about mushrooms and identifying mushrooms, all on a national or international level. In 2015, the name of the award was officially changed to recognize the contributions of Gary Lincoff; now the Gary Lincoff Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology. The awardee receives a plaque and lifetime membership in NAMA.

Nominations for this award should include a description of the accomplishments the nominee has made in the field of amateur mycology.

A name alone is not a sufficient nomination; neither is a profile on a website.
The recipient must be living at the time of the award.
Nominees who were not selected to receive the award are automatically re-nominated for 4 additional years, after which the nominee’s name has to be re-submitted, and it’s up to the nominator to keep track of this.
Selection among nominees is made by the voting of past award winners.
Nominations will be accepted until June 1st of the nomination year, or until a date set and announced by the awards committee.

Send a nomination by email to:

Phil Carpenter
Chair, NAMA Awards Committee
Email

Recipients of the Award for Contributions to Amateur Mycology

2023 - Andrew Methven
2022 - Noah Siegel
2021 - Britt Bunyard
2020 - Michael Kuo
2019 - Else Vellinga
2018 - James Trappe
2017 - John Plischke III
2016 - Dorothy Smullen
2015 - Andrus Voitk
2014 - Dr. Steve Trudell
2013 - Paul Stamets
2012 - Dr. Cathy Cripps
2011 - Jay Justice
2010 - Allein Stanley
2009 - David Lewis
2008 - Vera Evenson
2007 - Dr. Nancy Smith Weber
2006 - Dr. Michael Beug
2005 - Dr. Thomas Volk
2004 - Marti & Ken Cochran
2003 - no award given
2002 - Ben Woo
2001 - Dr. Walt Sundberg
2000 - William Roody
1999 - Maria Maravigna
1998 - Sondra Sheine
1997 - Dr. Richard L. Homola
1996 - Raymond Fatto
1995 - Edward Bosman
1994 - Obe Schrader
1993 - Dr. Moselio Schaechter
1992 - Dr. Alan Bessette
1991 - Leeds & Marie Bailey
1990 - Maggie Rogers
1989 - Walt Sturgeon
1988 - Charles Barrows
1987 - Dr. Harry Thiers
1986 - Gary Lincoff
1985 - Dr. Kent McKnight
1984 - Donald & Crystel Goetz
1983 - Ingrid Bartelli
1982 - Ellen Trueblood
1981 - Dr. Orson K. Miller, Jr.
1980 - Dr. Clark Rogerson
1979 - Margaret Lewis
1978 - Dr. Sam Ristich
1977 - Dr. Daniel Stuntz
1976 - Kit Scates-Barnhart
1975 - Dr. D.H. Mitchel
1973 - Dorothy Brown
1972 - no award given
1971 - Herbert Tweedie
1970 - Dr. R.L. Shaffer
1969 - Dr. Rene Pomerleau
1968 - Dr. Leo Tanghe
1967 - Dr. A.H. Smith
1966 - Stanley Smith
1965 - Harry and Elsie Knighton
1964 - John Cage
1963 - Margaret McKinney
1962 - John Stevenson
1961 - Guy Nearing

The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award

The Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award was established by the NAMA Board of Trustees to recognize and encourage persons who have distinguished themselves in service to their local clubs. It is named for the Knightons, whose efforts began the North American Mycological Association in 1967.

The annual award consists of a plaque; publicity for the winner and club in The Mycophile; a one-year membership in the organization; and registration, housing and foray fees for the next NAMA Foray.

Each year’s recipient is selected by the three most recent recipients of the Award.
Every NAMA-affiliated mycological club may nominate one candidate whom it feels has performed meritorious service during the current or preceding year, which has to be described!
Unselected nominees are automatically re-nominated for two additional years.
Nominations will be accepted until June 1st of the nomination year, or until a date set and announced by the awards committee.

Send a nomination by email to:

Phil Carpenter
Chair, NAMA Awards Committee
Email

Recipients of the Harry and Elsie Knighton Service Award

2023 - Phil Carpenter
2022 - Kathy Yerich
2021 - Melodie Gates
2020 - Sam Landes
2019 - John Lamprecht
2018 - Sister Marie Kopin
2017 - Chris May
2016 - Richard Jacob
2015 - Cornelia Cho
2014 - Richard Bishop
2013 - John Dawson
2012 - Dianna Smith
2011 - Ron Spinosa
2010 - Paul Sadowski
2009 - Joyce Gross
2008 - Brian McNett
2007 - David Work
2006 - Richard Dougall
2005 - Richard Bishop
2004 - no award given
2003 - John Plischke III
2002 - Ron Meyers
2001 - Vello Soots
2000 - Marilyn Shaw
1999 - Dr. Paul R. Harding
1998 - Lee K. Yamada
1997 - Athalie Barzee
1996 - Dr. William B. & Mrs. Louise Freedman
1995 - Laurence M. Stickney
1994 - Anna Gerenday
1993 - Sylvia Stein
1992 - John R. Parkin
1991 - Obe J. Schrader
1990 - Elsie Coulter
1989 - Frances V. Davis

President's Outstanding Service Award

Don Huffman instituted the President’s Outstanding Service Award during his tenure as President of NAMA to honor persons who have been of outstanding service to NAMA. The award represents the President’s personal selection.

Recipients of the President's Outstanding Service Award

2023 - Derek Zeller, Dr. Andrew Wilson
2022 -
2021 - Jon Sommer
2020 - Laura Juszczak and Sister Marie Kopin
2019 - Melodie Gates, Joe Brandt, Patrick Leacock
2018 - Sam Landes and Constance Durnan
2017 - Ursula Pohl
2016 - Ike Forester
2015 - Susan Hopkins, Cheryl Dawson, Dorothy Smullen, Dorothy Beebee
2014 - Constance Durnan
2013 - no award given
2012 - Adele Mehta, Linnea Gillman, Dianna Smith
2011 - Dr. Patrick Leacock and Ike Forester
2010 - Judith McCandless and Kit Skates Barnhart
2009 - David Rust
2008 - Ben Woo; Hope and Orson K. Miller, Jr.
2007 - Carlene Skeffington
2006 - Ann Bornstein
2005 - Walt Sundburg
2004 - Allein Stanley
2003 - no award given
2002 - no award given
2001 - no award given
2000 - Louise Freedman
1999 - Dean Abel
1998 - Betty Guttman
1997 - Robert Shaffer and Marilyn Shaw
1996 - Jill Carver
1995 - Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lubrecht
1994 - Ursula Pohl
1993 - John Trestrail
1992 - Pat Brannen
1991 - Jay Justice
1990 - Carlene Skeffington and Maggie Rogers
1989 - Allein Stanley and Steve Trudell
1988 - Ann Bornstein and Peter Hart
1987 - Marti and Kenneth Cochran

NAMA Memorial Scholarship

The NAMA Memorial Fellowship was established to commemorate an amateur or professional mycologist designated annually by the NAMA Board of Trustees. The award consists of a $2,000 grant to a graduate student in mycology on the basis of scholastic merit, research ability, and promise shown as a mycologist. The student is selected and the award is administered by the Mycological Society of America. The requirements are the same as those for the MSA Graduate Fellowships, with the additional stipulation that the Fellow provides an article for McIlvainea.

NAMA Memorial Scholarship Recipients and Honorees

2022 - Benjamin Lemmond (in honor of Oluna Ceszka)
2021 - Rachel Swenie (in honor of Judy Rogers)
2020 - Carolina Piña Páez (in honor of Pat Lewis)
2019 - Mara DeMers (in honor of Gary Lincoff)
2018 - Jacob Golan (in honor of Herbert Pohl)
2017 - Cat Adams (in honor of Pat Brannen)
2016 - Brian Looney (in honor of Hildegard Hendrickson)
2015 - Rachel Koch (in honor of Patrice Benson)
2014 - Marisol Sánchez-García
2013 - Cesar Herrera (in honor of Ernst Both)
2012 - Dimitrios Floudas (in honor of Laurence Stickney)
2011 - Vincent Hustad (in honor of Ben Woo)
2010 - Valerie Wong (in celebration of the 50th anniversary of NAMA)
2009 - Jennifer Kerekes (in honor of Elsie Knighton)
2008 - Jo Anne Crouch (in honor of Orson K. Miller, Jr.)
2007 - Todd Osmundson (in honor of Bill Cibula)
2006 - Bryn Dentinger
2005 - no award given
2004 - Jeri Lynn Parrent
2003 - no award given
2002 - Admir Giachini (in honor of Leo Tanghe)
2001 - P. Brandon Matheny (in honor of Kent & Vera McKnight)
2000 - Steven Trudell, University of Washington-Seattle (in honor of Chuck Barrows)
1999 - Cameron Currie (in honor of Helen V. Smith)
1998 - John Paul Schmitt (in honor of Harry Lubrecht)
1997 - Daniel L. Czerderpiltz, University of Wisconsin (in honor of Dr. Rolf Singer)
1996 - James E. Johnson, University of Tennessee (in honor of Ellen Trueblood)
1995 - Greg Saenz, University of California-Berkeley (in honor of Dr. D.H. Sam Mitchel)