May

Call for nominations: 2024 Secretary’s Research Awards

Secretary Lonnie Bunch is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the 2024 Secretary’s Research Prizes. The Prizes, organized by the Smithsonian Congress of Scholars (SCOS), recognize excellence in recent research across the Smithsonian and reflect the diversity of research at the Institution. All current Smithsonian employees are eligible. Up to ten prizes are awarded annually in the categories listed below.

Nominations close July 24, 2024

The Prizes will be presented to the recipients at the SI-wide event in March 2025.

Nomination Process

At least one current SI staff member must be a lead researcher on each project nominated. SI staff may nominate their own work or that of another SI staff member in one of the prize categories below. SCOS will then follow up with the nominee to provide further instructions on how to submit materials through SOLAA (the Smithsonian Academic Appointments system).

A selection committee composed of members of the Smithsonian Congress of Scholars will review the nominations and peer reviews and forward recommendations to the Secretary. The prizes will be presented at a ceremony in spring 2025, and $2,000 in research funds will be placed in 402 accounts for each winning project.

To nominate a project through the SOLAA staff portal (https://solaastaff.si.edu/) use the orange “Start Nomination” button and enter Nomination Code: 386053775. You will need to enter the nominee’s name, phone number and email address, and upload a document that includes the name and category of the nominated project. If you have any SOLAA-related questions, please contact Pamela Hudson Veenbaas at hudsonp@si.edu or 202-633-7058. Any questions related to the Secretary’s Research Prizes, please contact Raid M. Suleiman at rsuleiman@cfa.harvard.edu or 617-496-7823. Nominations must be submitted by July 24.

Prize Categories

All nominated projects must make an original and useful contribution to knowledge on behalf of the Smithsonian. Each project will be judged on the quality of
research, originality, clarity of writing and presentation, and usefulness of the research to the scholarly field and society.

Articles and chapters

Published in 2023 in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, or other book-length publications.

Scholarly books

Published in 2022 or 2023.
Includes single-author exhibition catalogues.

Exhibition catalogues

Published in 2023.
Multiple authors, at least one of whom is a Smithsonian research staff member.

Symposium Proceedings

Published in 2023.
Multiple authors or editors.
Organized and edited by at least one Smithsonian staff member.

Exhibitions without a published catalogue

Opened in 2023.
Will be judged on quality of research and innovative selection and grouping of objects, exhibition scripts, and installation strategies.
Not a prize for education or outreach.

Audio or Moving Image Production with Accompanying Scholarly Text or Narration