diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.test.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.test.tsx
index f33fde19b0..e4dc322c7c 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.test.tsx
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ describe('<EntityOwnerPicker/>', () => {
     );
 
     expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
-      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['another-owner']),
+      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/another-owner']),
     });
   });
 
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ describe('<EntityOwnerPicker/>', () => {
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId('owner-picker-expand'));
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('some-owner'));
     expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
-      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['some-owner']),
+      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/some-owner']),
     });
   });
 
@@ -245,9 +245,10 @@ describe('<EntityOwnerPicker/>', () => {
       </ApiProvider>,
     );
     expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
-      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['some-owner']),
+      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/some-owner']),
     });
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByTestId('owner-picker-expand'));
+
     expect(screen.getByLabelText('some-owner')).toBeChecked();
 
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByLabelText('some-owner'));
@@ -272,7 +273,7 @@ describe('<EntityOwnerPicker/>', () => {
       </ApiProvider>,
     );
     expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
-      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['team-a']),
+      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/team-a']),
     });
     rendered.rerender(
       <ApiProvider apis={mockApis}>
@@ -288,7 +289,7 @@ describe('<EntityOwnerPicker/>', () => {
       </ApiProvider>,
     );
     expect(updateFilters).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
-      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['team-b']),
+      owners: new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/team-b']),
     });
   });
   it('removes owners from filters if there are none available', async () => {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.tsx b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.tsx
index d755f2a84f..c1ed4fba18 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/components/EntityOwnerPicker/EntityOwnerPicker.tsx
@@ -107,14 +107,13 @@ export const EntityOwnerPicker = () => {
       if (entity) {
         return {
           label: humanizeEntity(entity, { defaultKind: 'Group' }),
-          entityRef: humanizeEntityRef(entity, { defaultKind: 'Group' }),
+          entityRef: stringifyEntityRef(entity),
         };
       }
       return {
-        label: humanizeEntityRef(
-          parseEntityRef(ownerEntityRefs[index], { defaultKind: 'Group' }),
-          { defaultKind: 'group' },
-        ),
+        label: humanizeEntityRef(parseEntityRef(ownerEntityRefs[index]), {
+          defaultKind: 'group',
+        }),
         entityRef: ownerEntityRefs[index],
       };
     });
@@ -143,7 +142,8 @@ export const EntityOwnerPicker = () => {
   // external updates to the page location.
   useEffect(() => {
     if (queryParamOwners.length) {
-      setSelectedOwners(queryParamOwners);
+      const filter = new EntityOwnerFilter(queryParamOwners);
+      setSelectedOwners(filter.values);
     }
   }, [queryParamOwners]);
 
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.test.ts
index 2a67190633..ac9e7c0e8a 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.test.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,12 @@
  */
 
 import { AlphaEntity } from '@backstage/catalog-model/alpha';
-import { Entity } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
+import { Entity, RELATION_OWNED_BY } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { TemplateEntityV1beta3 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import {
   EntityErrorFilter,
   EntityOrphanFilter,
+  EntityOwnerFilter,
   EntityTextFilter,
 } from './filters';
 
@@ -143,3 +144,50 @@ describe('EntityErrorFilter', () => {
     expect(filter.filterEntity(entities[1])).toBeFalsy();
   });
 });
+
+describe('EntityOwnerFilter', () => {
+  it('should handle humanizedEntityRefs', () => {
+    const filter = new EntityOwnerFilter(['my-user']);
+    expect(
+      filter.filterEntity({
+        relations: [
+          {
+            type: RELATION_OWNED_BY,
+            targetRef: 'group:default/my-user',
+          },
+        ],
+      } as Entity),
+    ).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(filter.values).toStrictEqual(['group:default/my-user']);
+  });
+
+  it('should also handle full entityRefs', () => {
+    const filter = new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/my-user']);
+    expect(
+      filter.filterEntity({
+        relations: [
+          {
+            type: RELATION_OWNED_BY,
+            targetRef: 'group:default/my-user',
+          },
+        ],
+      } as Entity),
+    ).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(filter.values).toStrictEqual(['group:default/my-user']);
+  });
+
+  it('should also gracefully reject non-entity refs', () => {
+    const filter = new EntityOwnerFilter(['group:default/my-user', '']);
+    expect(
+      filter.filterEntity({
+        relations: [
+          {
+            type: RELATION_OWNED_BY,
+            targetRef: 'group:default/my-user',
+          },
+        ],
+      } as Entity),
+    ).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(filter.values).toStrictEqual(['group:default/my-user']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.ts b/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.ts
index 5bd81780d6..ad9e917699 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-react/src/filters.ts
@@ -14,9 +14,13 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { Entity, RELATION_OWNED_BY } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
+import {
+  Entity,
+  parseEntityRef,
+  RELATION_OWNED_BY,
+  stringifyEntityRef,
+} from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { AlphaEntity } from '@backstage/catalog-model/alpha';
-import { humanizeEntityRef } from './components/EntityRefLink';
 import { EntityFilter, UserListFilterKind } from './types';
 import { getEntityRelations } from './utils';
 
@@ -113,18 +117,37 @@ export class EntityTextFilter implements EntityFilter {
 /**
  * Filter matching entities that are owned by group.
  * @public
+ *
+ * CAUTION: This class may contain both full and partial entity refs.
  */
 export class EntityOwnerFilter implements EntityFilter {
-  constructor(readonly values: string[]) {}
+  readonly values: string[];
+  constructor(values: string[]) {
+    this.values = values.reduce((fullRefs, ref) => {
+      // Attempt to remove bad entity references here.
+      try {
+        fullRefs.push(
+          stringifyEntityRef(parseEntityRef(ref, { defaultKind: 'Group' })),
+        );
+        return fullRefs;
+      } catch (err) {
+        return fullRefs;
+      }
+    }, [] as string[]);
+  }
 
   filterEntity(entity: Entity): boolean {
     return this.values.some(v =>
       getEntityRelations(entity, RELATION_OWNED_BY).some(
-        o => humanizeEntityRef(o, { defaultKind: 'group' }) === v,
+        o => stringifyEntityRef(o) === v,
       ),
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get the URL query parameter value. May be a mix of full and humanized entity refs.
+   * @returns list of entity refs.
+   */
   toQueryValue(): string[] {
     return this.values;
   }