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Maria Koepcke Prize

The Maria Koepcke Prize honors the German-Peruvian ornithologist Dr. Maria Koepcke (1924–1971), who uniquely combined field studies, observations of captive birds, and work with museum specimens. The prize has been awarded since 2006 and honors ornithological work that relies heavily on museum specimens. It comes with a cash prize of 400 € and is awarded by the “Ornithological Collections” section of the DOG. The aim of the award is to highlight the importance of collections for ornithological research and to provide a visible boost to young scientists.

Donwload-Icon Download the Maria Koepcke Prize Bylaws

Current Award Recipients

At the 14th Meeting of European Bird Curators in Turin on 23 September 2026, DOG Vice President Sylke Frahnert and Till Töpfer, member of the Specialist Group Ornithological Collections and the prize committee, presented the Maria Koepcke Prize to Guy M. Kirwan.

Past Award Recipients

© Christof Unger

2025 Award Winner
Dr. Renate van den Elzen

The DOG’s “Ornithological Collections” Section is awarding this year’s Maria Koepcke Prize to Dr. Renate van den Elzen of Vienna for her extraordinary contributions to the further development, visibility, and research of bird collections.

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2019 Award Winner
Dr. Justin J.F.J. Jansen

The “Ornithological Collections” Section of the DO-G is awarding this year’s Maria Koepcke Prize to Dr. Justin J.F.J. Jansen of Grave (Netherlands) for his in-depth work on the history of ornithology, particularly regarding the ornithological findings of the expedition led by the French navigator …

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2017 Award Winner
Dr. Manuel Schweizer

The 2017 Maria Koepcke Prize for outstanding studies in avian collections goes to Dr. Manuel Schweizer from Bern, Switzerland. With this award, the DO-G honors an ornithologist who is deeply rooted not only in scientific collection work but also in field ornithology in the broadest sense.

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2015 Award Winner
Jörg Asmus

The DO-G awards Mr. Jörg Asmus (Güstrow) the 2015 Maria Koepcke Prize for his studies of bird collections. Unlike many previous award recipients, Mr. Asmus is not a professional ornithologist; rather, he devotes his free time with great dedication to addressing challenging ornithological questions.

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2013 Award Recipient
Dr. Gerald Mayr

By awarding the 2013 Maria Koepcke Prize, the FG “Ornithological Collections” honors an exceptionally active paleo-ornithologist who, by linking the morphology of fossil and extant birds, has uncovered significant insights into their evolutionary history.

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2012 Award Winner
Dr. Till Töpfer

The 2012 Maria Koepcke Prize was awarded to Dr. Till Töpfer of Dresden for his diverse and outstanding work based on ornithological collection material. In both natural history and ornithological collections, the gap between the demands of collection maintenance and development …

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More Award Winners Show less

2009 – Martin Päckert

Award-Winning Work:
Combining Museum Work and Field Ornithology.

Laudation:
Vogelwarte 47: 373

2008 – Albrecht Manegold

Award-Winning Work:
A Systematics of Birds Based on Morphological Characteristics

Laudation:
Vogelwarte 46: 378.

2007 – Christiane Quaisser

FAQ: The Maria Koeppke Prize

Who is eligible to receive the award?

The award is open to all researchers, regardless of age, nationality, or DOG membership.

Which works will be recognized?

Funding is provided for research projects whose findings are based primarily on collection materials.

How much is the endowment?

The prize is worth 400 €.

How often is the award presented?

It may be awarded annually, depending on the quality of the submissions and the available funding.