The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
conferral \conferral\ n. the act of conferring an honor or presenting a gift. Syn: bestowal, conferment. [WordNet 1.5]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
conferral n 1: the act of conferring an honor or presenting a gift [syn: bestowal, bestowment, conferral, conferment]