Congratulations to the 2023 Schwartz Prize Winners! Alaska Humanities Forum won for its Ilakucaraq Program; Rhode Island Humanities for its 2022 Civic Health Index; and North Carolina Humanities for its North Carolina Reads program. The Schwatrz Prize to North Carolina Humanities was given this year in memory of Marilyn Hatza, the former Director of Grants and Community Engagement at Maryland Humanities.
The 2024 Schwartz Prize Ceremony will be held Friday, November 15 in Providence, Rhode Island. Check back for nomination process details in Spring/Summer 2024.
About the Prize
The Schwartz Prize was established by Helen and Martin Schwartz in the early 1980s and was designed to bring recognition to outstanding public humanities programs. An outside panel of judges, typically selected from council board members, executive directors, and program officers who have recently won Schwartz Prizes, is appointed to review and judge the Prize nominations. Up to three councils are awarded the Schwartz Prize every year in a special ceremony at the National Humanities Conference. The first prize was awarded to the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities (now the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities) in 1982 for their project: “The Trinity Humanities Series: The Dramatic Work as a Historical, Cultural Document.”
Watch the heartwarming tribute video from their daughter Deborah Schwartz.
Publicity
The Federation intends to collaborate with the winning councils to make an announcement to local media about these projects. Nominees for the 2023 year will be contacted with more information regarding publicity.
Please note: by submitting a program to the Federation and Schwartz Prize, you consent to the use of the nomination packet information, images, and content in Federation promotion and publishing. Please include proper photo citations, attributions, and permissions as required of the assets. Nomination packets will be published and shared on the Federation website and photos and information will be used to promote the Schwartz Prize on social media and in other forms of communication unless the use of these assets is explicitly denied by the council.
Questions?
Our most commonly answered questions can be found by clicking the FAQs button below. Additional inquiries can be sent to events@statehumanities.org.
Past Winners
Click images to view nominating statements
2023
Alaska Humanities Forum- “Ilakucaraq (“Being Together”) Program”
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities – “2022 Rhode Island Civic Health Index Initiative”
North Carolina Humanities – “North Carolina Reads”
2022
Hawai’i Council for the Humanities – “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation”
Oklahoma Humanities – “Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commemoration Initiative”
2021
Minnesota Humanities Center – “How Can We Breathe”
Nevada Humanities – “Humanities Heart to Heart”
2020
Scwartz Prize for 2019 Programming
California Humanities – “Library Innovation Lab” | Vermont Humanities – “Vermont Reads 2019: March: Book One“
Schwartz Prize for Rapid Response, COVID-19 Programming
Humanities Washington – “Cabin Fever Questions” | Humanities Texas – “Teacher Professional Development Programs”
2019
Humanities Guåhan – “Taking Root: Growing Youth Empowerment for Island Sustainability”
Ohio Humanities – “Not Far From Me: Stories of Opioids and Ohio”
2018
Mississippi Humanities – “Racial Equity Grant Program”
Oregon Humanities – “This Land”
2017
Indiana Humanities – “Next Indiana Campfires”
