Each year, the International Wizard of Oz Club presents the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award to a person (or persons) who has made significant contributions to the work and purposes of the Club. Under the Club’s bylaws, the recipient is selected by the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award Committee, comprising all living previous award recipients. Nominees are considered for:
- Educating and encouraging the interest of members and the general public in the writings of L. Frank Baum and other authors about the Land of Oz;
- Facilitating the collecting of works related to Oz and its creators;
- Promoting research about authors, illustrators, critics, and other matters related to Oz;
- Encouraging original writing and other forms of expression about Oz; and
- Providing forums for people to meet and share their interest in the phenomenon of Oz.
1961: Dick Martin (1927-1990)
1962: Russell P. MacFall (1903-1983)
1963: Harry Neal Baum (1889-1967)
1964: Justin G. Schiller
1965: David L. Greene (1944-2020) and Douglas G. Greene
1966: Edna D. Baum (1887-1968) and Elizabeth Ligon Baum (1907-1971)
1967: James E. Haff (1923-1981)
1968: Ruth Plumly Thompson (1891-1976)
1969: Ray Powell (1922-1981)
1970: John Fricke
1971: Martin Gardner (1914-2010)
1972: Matilda Jewell Gage (1886-1986)
1973: Peter E. Hanff
1974: C. Warren Hollister (1930-1998)
1975: Bill Eubank (1924-1993)
1976: Daniel P. Mannix (1912-1997)
1977: Barbara S. Koelle (1923-2018)
1978: Fred M. Meyer (1926-2004)
1979: Jerry V. Tobias (1929-2014)
1980: Irene Fisher (1922-2004)
1981: John Van Camp (1934-2025)
1982: Aljean Harmetz
1983: Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915-2000) and Lauren Lynn McGraw
1984: Ozma Baum Mantele (1916-1999) and Dr. Robert A. Baum (1915-1988)
1985: Edward Wagenknecht (1900-2004)
1986: Jay Delkin
1987: Brenda Baum Turner (1903-1996)
1988: Robin Olderman (1944-2017)
1989: Marc Lewis
1990: Jean Brockway
1991: Frederick E. Otto (1925-1994)
1992: Rob Roy MacVeigh (1955-1992)
1993: Patricia Eliot Tobias
1994: Dorothy Curtiss Maryott
1995: Rachel Cosgrove Payes (1922-1998)
1996: Eric Shanower
1997: Jim Vander Noot
1998: Ruth Berman
1999: Michael Gessel
2000: Jane Albright
2001: Willard Carroll and Michael O. Riley
2002: Robert Baum (1942-2025)
2003: Peter Glassman
2004: Patrick Maund (1955-2012)
2005: Angelica Carpenter and David Maxine
2006: David Moyer (1929-2022)
2007: Nancy Tystad Koupal
2008: Meinhardt Raabe (1915-2010)
2009: Michael Patrick Hearn
2010: Stephen J. Teller (1940-2025)
2011: Margaret (Williams) Pellegrini (1923-2013)
2012: Atticus Gannaway
2013: Eric Gjovaag
2014: Gregory Maguire
2015: Paul Bienvenue
2016: Jay Scarfone and William Stillman
2017: Scott Cummings
2018: Bill Thompson
2019: Bill Beem
2020: Gina Wickwar (1944-2026)
2021: Lynn Beltz (1953-2021)
2022: Sean P. Duffley
2023: Blair Frodëlius
2024: Ryan Bunch
2025: Sarah K. Crotzer
2026: Cindy Ragni