Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award

With its annual Governor’s Awards In the Humanities, the Board of South Carolina Humanities has long recognized established leaders who have made enormous contributions to the state and nation in educational, cultural, and community-building roles.  In 2018, SC Humanities has established a new award to be presented at the Governor’s Awards in the Humanities luncheon and ceremony in October. The Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award will recognize individuals who are working in unique and innovative ways to use culture and history to bring people together, but whose efforts have gone relatively unnoticed beyond their own community.

SC Humanities Board Member and Promotions Committee Chair Will Balk said, “There are surprising projects going on all around us, using language in new ways to connect people, exploring neglected or obscured histories, and bringing lively teaching and learning approaches to those of us who ‘missed out the first time around.'”

In 2018, SC Humanities celebrates its 45th year of enriching the cultural and intellectual lives of South Carolinians through the public humanities, and the Board of Directors wanted to create this new award during this milestone year to celebrate and recognize hardworking but lesser-known cultural ambassadors in South Carolina.

For the Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award, SC Humanities seeks to recognize new voices who:
1) Identify current opportunities by examining the world through a fresh lens.
2) Engage their communities through open conversation and collaboration.
3) Create innovative responses that have a dynamic impact.

The SC Humanities Board of Directors will choose winners who best exemplify the above criteria. A letter of nomination should be sent to the attention of Dr. Randy Akers, SC Humanities, P.O. Box 5287, Columbia, SC 29250 by July 15, 2018. Nomination letters may be up to three pages in length and should describe the contributions of the nominee. Individuals may not nominate themselves.

SC Humanities Board Chairperson Kim Shealy Jeffcoat said, “The Board of SC Humanities is excited to be adding the ‘Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award’ to our already well established and prestigious Governor’s Awards.  There are so many South Carolinians doing innovative and exciting work in the humanities, and we can’t wait to celebrate them and share their stories.”

For more information about the Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award, contact the office at 803-771-2477.

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 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or 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.