confer vs award

confer is not a noun while award is a noun.

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

As verbs, award is a hypernym of confer; that is, award is a word with a broader meaning than confer:

Other hypernyms of confer include present.

confer (noun)	award (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

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