South Carolina Humanities is pleased to announce that nominations for the Governor’s Awards in the Humanities and the Akers Prize are now being accepted through Sunday, June 15, 2025. Established in 1991, the Governor’s Awards celebrate the Palmetto State’s humanities academics and advocates. The Akers Prize, formerly the Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award, recognizes innovative individuals who use culture and history to bring people together. SC Humanities has awarded 106 Governor’s Awards since 1991 and 16 Fresh Voices Awards/Akers Prizes since 2018.
The Governor’s Awards recognize outstanding achievement in humanities research, teaching, and scholarship; institutional and individual participation in helping communities in South Carolina better understand our cultural heritage or ideas and issues related to the humanities; excellence in defining South Carolina’s cultural life to the nation or world; and exemplary support for public humanities programs.
The Akers Prize recognizes individuals who are working in unique and innovative ways to use culture and history to bring people together, but whose efforts may have gone relatively unnoticed beyond their own community. In 2023, as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of SC Humanities, the Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award was renamed the “Akers Prize” to honor and recognize the passionate work in the humanities of longstanding SC Humanities Executive Director, Dr. Randy Akers, who will be retiring in 2025.
All nominations for the Governor’s Award in the Humanities and the Akers Prize should be sent by June 15, 2025, to the attention of Dr. Randy Akers, SC Humanities, P.O. Box 5287, Columbia, SC 29250. Nominations can also be emailed to rlakers@schumanities.org. Nominations must include: a letter describing the contributions of the nominee (up to three pages); a resume or C.V. for nominated individuals; 2-3 letters of support for nominated organizations/institutions; and contact information for the nominee, including name, phone number, and email address. Please note that individuals, organizations, and/or institutions may not nominate themselves.
The South Carolina Humanities Award Luncheon, featuring the Governor’s Awards and Akers Prize ceremony, will be held at the Pastides Alumni Center in October 2025. Information about table sponsorships as well as individual tickets will be forthcoming
Learn more about past winners here.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
