award vs confer

award is a noun but confer is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
award	Yes	No	Yes	No
confer	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, confer is a hyponym of award; that is, confer is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than award:

Other hyponyms of award include certificate, bestow.

award (noun)	confer (noun)
a grant made by a law court
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
something given for victory or superiority in a contest or competition or for winning a lottery

award (verb)	confer (verb)
give, especially as an honor or reward	have a conference in order to talk something over
give as judged due or on the basis of merit	present