These awards recognize graduate or undergraduate students giving the most outstanding oral presentations at the annual meeting. The top three presenters are recognized and receive monetary awards during the Awards Banquet. The student presentation awards were named in honor of Joan Berish following her 33-year career in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, during which she led many pioneering gopher tortoise research and conservation initiatives.
| Year | Award | Recipient | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Presentation (regular) 1st place | Nicholas Canino | University of Florida |
| 2025 | Presentation (regular) 2nd place | Anet Filipova | Auburn University |
| 2025 | Presentation (regular) 3rd place | Emily Mailhos | University of New Orleans |
| 2024 | Presentation (regular) 1st place | Nicholas Canino | University of Florida |
| 2024 | Presentation (regular) 2nd place | Shivam Shukla | University of South Florida |
| 2024 | Presentation (regular) 3rd place | Garrett Lawson | Virginia Tech |
| 2023 | Presentation (regular) 1st place | Celina Ceballos | Eckerd College |
| 2023 | Presentation (regular) 2nd place | McKayla Susen | University of Georgia |
| 2022 | Presentation (regular) 1st place | Sean McKnight | University of Florida |
| 2022 | Presentation (regular) 2nd place | Leyna Stemle | University of Miami |
| 2022 | Presentation (regular) 3rd place | David Tevs | Georgia Southern University |
| 2020 | Presentation (regular) 1st place | Robin Lloyd Jr. | University of South Alabama |
| 2020 | Presentation (regular) 2nd place | Amelia Russell | University of Georgia |
| 2020 | Presentation (speed) 1st place | Nicole DeSha | Georgia Southern University |
| 2020 | Presentation (speed) 2nd place | Leyna Stemle | University of Miami |
| 2020 | Presentation (speed) 3rd place | Houston Chandler | Virginia Tech |
| 2019 | Presentation 1st place | Rebecca Cozad | University of Georgia |
| 2019 | Presentation 2nd place | Garrett Lawson | Archbold Biological Station |
| 2019 | Presentation 3rd place-tied | Thomas Prebyl | University of Georgia |
| 2019 | Presentation 3rd place-tied | Philip Schulte | Auburn University |
| 2018 | Presentation 1st place | Ivana Lezcano | FL Gulf Coast University |
| 2018 | Presentation 2nd place | Rebecca McKee | University of Georgia |
| 2018 | Presentation 3rd place | Thomas Prebyl | University of Georgia |
| 2017 | Presentation 1st place | Nicole White | University of Georgia |
| 2017 | Presentation 2nd place | Thomas Radzio | Drexel University |
| 2017 | Presentation 3rd place | Thomas Prebyl | University of Georgia |
| 2016 | Presentation 1st place | Rhett Rautsaw | Towson University |
| 2016 | Presentation 2nd place | Nicole White | University of Georgia |
| 2016 | Presentation 3rd place | Tessie Offner | University of Florida |
| 2015 | Presentation 1st place | Bradley O’Hanlon | Marshall University |
| 2015 | Presentation 2nd place | Dan Quinn | University of Georgia |
| 2015 | Presentation 3rd place | Alex Wright/Michelina Dziadzio | University of Georgia |
| 2014 | Presentation 1st place | Jeff Goessling | Auburn University |
| 2014 | Presentation 2nd place | Scott Martin | Towson University |
| 2014 | Presentation 3rd place | Tom Radzio/Nicole White | Drexel University/University of Georgia |
| 2013 | Presentation 1st place | Tom Radzio | Rutgers University |
| 2013 | Presentation 2nd place | Mark Margres | Florida State University |
| 2013 | Presentation 3rd place | Beth Schlimm | University of Georgia |
| 2012 | Presentation 1st place | Mark Margres | Florida State University |
| 2012 | Presentation 2nd place | Kim Sonderman | University of Georgia |
| 2012 | Presentation 3rd place | Jessica McGuire | University of Georgia |