The Great Texas Birding Classic Awards Ceremony was held once again at the Phil Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center. Celebrating its 30th year, the event was MC’d by the tireless GTBC coordinator, Shelly Plante.
This year’s Classic had a huge participation, with 1450 participants on 252 teams. The energy at the venue was fantastic as numerous milestones and awards were handed out.
Martha McLeod made her annual (and incredibly successful) attempt to get every young birder in the Coastal Bend out birding.
Other special awards recipients were Madge Lindsey, Jennifer Bristol and Bill Baker.
There was also a wonderful surprise announcement for the coordinator herself: Lisa Gonzalez of Audubon Texas shared that Shelly Plante will be receiving the prestigious Terry Hershey Award for Texas Women in Conservation this year!
New this year was the Birding Classics Art Contest, featuring three different categories. It was a really positive new addition to the event, and the entries were genuinely impressive. As a result of the contest, the official design for the 2027 GTBC has already been selected—though it was kept under wraps and revealed at the very end of the presentation!
Next came the moment most of the crowd was waiting for: the announcement of the 35+ tournament category winners for 2026. You can check out the full list of those winners here, or view all of the ceremony presentation slides on their Facebook post.
It was a fantastic event to attend—a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and finally meet a few folks previously only known through “eBird stalking.” If you ever get the chance to visit, the Phil Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center is a gorgeous venue. Surrounded by mature oaks and mesquite scrub, it features excellent trails and is famous for its massive land bridge crossing Wurzbach Parkway.
While a return visit during a time of day that isn’t midday in mid-June might be best to truly appreciate the local bird life, it was a spectacular afternoon. Hopefully, it will be possible to head back for the awards ceremony again next year!