Nomination InformationNominees should be worthy of national recognition and have a record of continuing artistic accomplishment. They must be actively participating in their art form, either as practitioners or as teachers. Fellows are selected according to criteria of authenticity, excellence, and significance within the particular artistic tradition. Each year, the National Endowment for the Arts awards a National Heritage Fellowship to an individual who has made major contributions to the excellence, vitality, and public appreciation of the folk and traditional arts. Named after the influential advocate, educator, and producer of the folk and traditional arts, Bess Lomax Hawes, this award recognizes:
For the Bess Lomax Hawes award, nominees will be considered based on their achievements in fostering excellence, ensuring vitality, and promoting public appreciation of the folk and traditional arts. Nominees should be worthy of national recognition and must be actively engaged in preserving the folk and traditional arts. For All FellowshipsThis fellowship category is not open to application. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of nominations from the public. Nominations may be for individuals or for a group of individuals (e.g., a duo). The recipients must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Each award is $20,000. How to Submit a NominationNominations may be made by submitting a letter that details the reasons that the nominee(s) should receive a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship. Describe the nominee’s contributions to his or her particular artistic tradition and explain why this individual or group deserves national recognition. Individuals may be nominated specifically for the Bess Lomax Hawes award and all nominees will be considered for this award. No one may nominate him/herself. Include the following items with your nomination letter:
Deadline for NominationsFor FY 2005: Nominations must be postmarked (or show other proof of mailing) no later than October 1, 2004. Grant awards will be announced in the spring of 2005. For FY 2006: Nominations must be postmarked (or show other proof or mailing) no later than October 1, 2005. Grant awards will be announced in the spring of 2006. Send your nomination to: National Heritage Fellowships Phone: 202/682-5428 NOTE: Support material such as slides and tapes will not be returned except under the most special circumstances. Please do not send the only copy. You may submit additional material in support of your nomination at any time. However, if the review process for the current round of fellowships has started, the staff will retain your material for consideration in future years. Review of NominationsOnce a nomination has been submitted to the Arts Endowment, it is reviewed by an advisory panel of folk and traditional arts experts and at least one knowledgeable layperson. Panel recommendations are forwarded to the National Council on the Arts, which then makes recommendations to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chairman reviews the Council’s recommendations and makes the final decision on all the award recipients. Nominations remain active for five years. The nominee(s) will be reviewed annually during this period. Folk and Traditional ArtsThe folk and traditional arts which include music, crafts, dance, storytelling, and others are those that are learned as part of the cultural life of a community whose members share a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation, or geographic region. These traditions are shaped by the aesthetics and values of a shared culture and are passed from generation to generation, most often within family and community through observation, conversation, and practice. Mission of the NEAThe National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts -- both new and established -- bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Notice concerning delivery of First-Class and Priority mailThe National Endowment for the Arts continues to experience lengthy delays in the delivery of First-Class mail. In addition, some or all of the First-Class and Priority mail we receive may be irradiated to protect against biological contamination. Support material (e.g., CDs, videos, slides, etc.) put through this process may be severely damaged. If you are sending this kind of material, we strongly encourage you to consider using commercial delivery services.
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