The Federation of State Humanities Councils is pleased to announce that it is now accepting nominations for the annual Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize, made possible through an endowment established by former Federation board members Helen and Martin Schwartz to recognize outstanding work in the public humanities.
Throughout its 25-year history, the Schwartz Prize nominations and winners have given us an invaluable snapshot of council priorities and achievements. The nominating statements have revealed and allowed us to track the remarkable evolution of council work, as it expanded from grant-making to council-conducted programming to yet more sophisticated and strategic forms of public humanities work.
We believe the nominations for this award should showcase the best, most imaginative and most significant work councils are currently undertaking or supporting. In that spirit, this year's competition removes all administrative categories and focuses simply on outstanding programming. The award will signal new visions of mission and practice in response to the changing environment in which we act.
Up to three Schwartz Prizes will be awarded, based on descriptions submitted by nominating councils of exemplary programming that exerted a significant impact on citizens, institutions, organizations, or communities in their states. Examples of programs or initiatives that might result in a nomination include, but are not limited to, the following:
The nominating statement will outline the council's aims in undertaking this project or activity and will describe the project's public impact. The statement will also include a description of the project's financial structure.
Please join us in the effort to showcase and celebrate the best of state humanities council work by submitting a nomination for this year's Schwartz Prize. The deadline for submitting nominations for this year's Schwartz Prize is September 15, 2008. Nominations should include the following materials:
Seven (7) copies of your nominating statement
CD with image & program description suitable for posting to the Federation website
Please send to:
Carrie Graf
Federation of State Humanities Councils
1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 902
Arlington, VA 22209