Apr

Call for Nominations: 2021 Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities

Deadline for nominations is May 28.

Old Dutch painting of a scholar at his desk

For nearly two decades, the Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar Award (formerly the Secretary’s Distinguished Research Lecture Award) has celebrated excellence in all branches of Smithsonian scholarship. Beginning in 2017, two annual SDS awards have been offered, one in the sciences and the other in the humanities, each honoring the sustained achievement of an outstanding Smithsonian scholar. Award recipients are asked to deliver a lecture to the Smithsonian community on their research, a reception is held in their honor, and a $5,000 contribution is made to each prize-winner’s research fund.

The Smithsonian Distinguished Scholar Award highlights the Smithsonian’s commitment to knowledge—knowledge derived through historical inquiry, the scientific method, rigorous analysis and peer review, and the syntheses that can result from a broad understanding of a particular culture or period. People trust the Smithsonian to care for America’s treasures and pursue and share historical, cultural, and scientific truth. Because of that trust, it is important that we uphold our founding principles and James Smithson’s mandate to increase and diffuse knowledge. The two SDS awards, together with the Secretary’s Research Prizes and the Research Tent at the annual staff picnic, offer Smithsonian staff, members of Congress, and the public four opportunities each year to learn about the remarkable work of our researchers. Each of these events showcases Smithsonian scholars and the new and innovative ways they are sharing knowledge with the world.

Nominations are reviewed by a Selection Committee of former award recipients, which presents the Secretary with a short slate of candidates from which he selects the new Distinguished Scholar.

The criteria for the award are:

Outstanding and sustained achievement in research
Longstanding commitment to the Smithsonian
Ability to communicate to both a specialist and a non-specialist audience

Nominations may come from any current Smithsonian staff member, and should include the following materials:

A nominating letter that explicitly addresses each of the three selection criteria
An independent letter from another Smithsonian staff member that supplies additional information or perspective on the nominee (additional letters of support from outside the Smithsonian may also be submitted)
A current curriculum vitae of the nominee

All active Smithsonian staff members are eligible for consideration; nominations will be kept active for three years (even if the nominee acquires emeritus status during that period) unless withdrawn. Self-nominations are not permitted, and currently emeritus staff are not eligible.

Nominations should be submitted via e-mail by COB Friday 28 May 2021 to slowikk@si.edu.

Please note: this call is for nominations in the Humanities only: the call for next Sciences nominees will be forthcoming later in a separate announcement.

The 2021 Selection Committee includes Louise Cort (FSG), David DeVorkin (NASM), Giovanni Fazio (SAO), Christine Jones Forman (SAO), William Forman (SAO), Adrienne Kaeppler (NMNH), Nancy Knowlton (NMNH), Christine Kreamer (NMAA), Igor Krupnik (NMNH), Ellen Miles (NPG), Michael Neufeld (NASM), Kenneth Slowik, (Chair; NMAH), and Tom Watters (NASM).

For further information, contact Kenneth Slowik (NMAH) at (202) 633-3597 or slowikk@si.edu.