"make a special mention" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use this phrase when you want to emphasize the importance of something. For example, "I would like to make a special mention of my colleague's hard work and dedication to the project."
"You have to make a special mention of the supporters," the Villa manager said.
"I would want to make a special mention both to the course manager, Michael Lee, and of Chris Zugel.
We would like to make a special mention of our FLOs Alice and Jon who have been with us from day one.
"I want to make a special mention to Adam Chicksen and Solly March because it's been tough on them, they've been training hard and showing great attitude.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew said: "I have to make a special mention of Shola Ameobi, who has been an incredible servant to Newcastle United.
"I'd like to make a special mention for Lis [Lisbie], he's been fighting a dead leg all week, we loaned in a special bit of equipment that was expensive to try to get him there and it was 50-50," saide said.
He also made a special mention of the Citicorp Building on the East Side, cited last week as a potential terror target.
Adrian McNally urged the crowd to "keep buying recorded music, it's an art form in itself," and he also made a special mention for the un-nominated 2015 album by Lau, The Bell that Never Rang - "for me, the best folk album by a British band made in the last 10 years, let alone the last year".
Waugh was so impressed that he made a special mention of Leatherdale's feat in his end-of-tour diary.
The U.S. president praised Israel, talked about peace and democracy, and as usual, Bush made a special mention of Iran and its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Amnesty International Mexico on Friday presented in Mexico City the organization's annual global report on the state of human rights, which this year makes a special mention of disappearances in Mexico and the apparently widespread state use of torture.
