The Ross Socolof Award recognizes individuals or institutions that have made a significant contribution to the cichlid hobby through their commercial activities. Nominees for this award can come from any arena in the tropical fish industry. An ideal candidate may have:
- Concentrated a significant portion of their venture/career on the promotion of cichlids;
- Provided significant financial support for cichlid-specific research or conservation;
- Invented or developed technologies that have been used to improve cichlid keeping or advance the hobby of cichlid keeping;
- Been a leader/pioneer in the discovery, importation, and introduction of new cichlid species for commercial purposes;
- Been a leader/pioneer in the propagation of cichlids and/or the development of important tank strains of cichlids for commercial purposes;
- Been a leader in publishing books or other literature that promotes cichlids and cichlid keeping;
- Made any other significant contribution to the cichlid hobby in the pursuit of commercial interests.
Ross Socolof Award Recipients:
| 2010 | Laif DeMason & Stuart Grant |
| 2011 | Rick Biro |
| 2012 | Gary Bagnall |
