As part of our commitment to fostering ornithological research and conservation, Birds Australia manages the annual Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award and the Professor Allen Keast Research Award. These are postgraduate prizes conferred on the most promising students working on ornithology in Australian Universities. The Stuart Leslie Award also has a component dedicated to meeting the costs of attending conferences; many of the students presenting papers at national and international ornithological and ecological conferences are supported by Birds Australia.

Birds Australia also awards the D.L. Serventy Medal for outstanding published work on birds in the Australasian region, and the J.N. Hobbs Memorial Medal for outstanding contributions to Australasian ornithology by an amateur ornithologist. These awards are intended to celebrate the significant achievements and contributions of individuals, but also serve to bring the ornithological community together.