Winner of the 2025 Owl of the Year - Buffy Fish Owl!

After a long and hard battle with the Screech Owl, Buffy managed to just barely hold onto the lead by a plumicorn!

Screech was an outstanding owl to have in the final round, and both likely set OotY voting records.

Both received great public support, and these 2 fabulous birds, along with Snowy and White Faced Owl will be honored throughout the coming year.

This will be brief for now, as I have a busy day today, but I will get to work coming up with our new icons and banners, making our community prize donation, and summing up the tournament.

In the meanwhile, let's hear it for our new winner, and all our great runners up. Also a huge congratulations to all of you for participating and making this event something we look forward to all year. Thank you all so much for building up all the excitement.

289 points · 45 comments · view on lemmy.world

45 Comments

Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Thank you so much for organising this. It's obviously a tonne of work and we all appreciate it. For me it's one of the best things on the internet and I'm already looking forward to next time.

Buffy is such a great winner 🤟

anon6789@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 239d

It is a labor of love! 😅

It does feel like something unique that only we have.

LordAmplifier@pawb.social · 27 pts · 239d (9 replies)

This is always such a fun event. Thank you for doing this every year! And congrats to Buffy for winning Owl of the Year 2025, a title of great honour.

anon6789@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 239d (8 replies)

Buffy and its fans really worked hard for it!

LordAmplifier@pawb.social · 18 pts · 239d (7 replies)

Yes, especially the propaganda poster someone drew was amazing!

GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip · 14 pts · 239d (5 replies)

They say the pen is mightier than the sword, so I went on a campaign with it, for my Liege.

Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 239d (4 replies)

Next year please draw the Flamulated Owl! New champ every year please =]

GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 239d (3 replies)

I'll definitely support a different owl next year. I have one in mind, but... I could be persuaded, you know, for the right amount 𓁹‿𓁹 HEH.

:P jk.

Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 239d (2 replies)

Like all good propaganda, I wouldn't expect anything else. I think Flammy has something extra over a lot of owls for the artistically inclined, with those deep void eyes and flame highlights.

Really though, there are so many I would be happy to see do well (cough barn owl cough cough)

GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 239d

I'll make it a new years resolution to contribute some unbiased owl art to the comm periodically c:

anon6789@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 239d

I agree! That's @GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip

onigiri@sh.itjust.works · 24 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Congrats to Buffy!

Thanks, as always, for making this the best part of lemmy and one of my favorite corners of the internet. :)

anon6789@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 239d

It is my pleasure. It's in return for you guys spending so much time with me and the owls during the year.

GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip · 19 pts · 239d (3 replies)

Yaaaaay !! Buffy fish !! Buffy fish!! All Hail Buffy Fish!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 239d (2 replies)

I feel your drawings had a hand in it!

GrantUsEyes@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Hmm, perhaps heh... I think Buffy was a couple of points below Screech when I posted, but it was super tight 'till the end :P

anon6789@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 239d

A lot of these races have shown the difference just a few votes can make! Every bit helps.

Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Ah, there it is, the superb owl winner

anon6789@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 239d

There can be only one!

Paradachshund@lemmy.today · 15 pts · 239d

The propaganda campaign worked 😵

Foreigner@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Sad little screechy didn't win but happy for the Buffy owl's win. They're all winners in my heart after all ❤️

anon6789@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 239d

I went into it very pro-Screech, but the enthusiasm of the Buffy crew won me over. It was a well played match by both sides. I'm glad we had such an exciting finale.

RagnarokOnline@programming.dev · 13 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Queen Buffy!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 239d

Long may she reign!

Sxan@piefed.zip · 13 pts · 239d (1 reply)

Well deserved, and long coming!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 239d

It wears the crown well!

Lommy@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 239d (1 reply)

She looks like she was made to be wearing a crown! Thank you much for all the effort you've put in Anon. It was a great one again this year, and i'm looking forward to the next one. Happy holidays!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 239d

She's a natural!

It's been a fun tournament. There were many surprise wins this year that most of us didn't anticipate, but still the best made it through.

I hope next year's can be even bigger and better!

pseudo@jlai.lu · 10 pts · 239d (2 replies)

Any of the two winning would have made me very happy but the Buffy fish owl truly wears the crown superbly!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 239d (1 reply)

We finally get a big hibou!

pseudo@jlai.lu · 5 pts · 239d

Yes !! Finally ! I love them so much. Although I don't hate the small ones either.

ayyy@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 239d (1 reply)

If they’re calling this a Fish Owl then I get to be called a Mac’n’Cheese human.

anon6789@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 239d

I support this!

Sergio@piefed.social · 8 pts · 239d (1 reply)

This go-round I learned the meaning of the word "plumicorn." Thanks, anon6789!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 239d

It's a great word! People always light up when I teach it to them.

RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 239d

Owllelujah!

FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 239d (1 reply)

That is objectively a princely owl.

anon6789@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 239d

It wears the crown well and even has a bit of the ermine fur look going on. (The white fur with black spots)

homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 239d (1 reply)

YES!! HA HAAA!!!! You did it, Buffy Fish! You’re the Owl of the Year!!1!

Amazing! The people have spoken! Buffy Fish for all!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 238d

It was an intense battle, but the Buffy proved itself worthy in the end! So begins the Year of Buffness!

Evolushan@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 229d (1 reply)

Screech my beloved, it is for next year!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 229d

Screech is still near and dear to my heart! It still did a tremendous job!

festnt@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 237d (1 reply)

hoo is responsible for that downvote?!

anon6789@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 237d

I don't recognize the name, it's a fairly new account, so probably just an accident.

I had a serial downvote, but then they finally commented one day. I said why are you here if you hate me? They said they loved my stuff, they just downvote every .world post out of principle to give smaller instances one vote better visibility.

An interesting campaign, but since I knew it wasn't personal after that it was no biggie. Most downvotes I get seem to be one and done, but I do get a handful of names enough to make it seem like something bothered then, but I couldn't say what.