Recognition Program
The Central New York Humanities Corridor is excited to launch a new initiative recognizing Working Group Organizers for their collaborative efforts in humanities research and programming.
Prizes Defined
We will award at least one prize for “Outstanding Working Group of the Year” and up to a total of three prizes. Given the highly varied nature of Working Group collaboration styles, goals, and foci, there are no specific prize categories, at least in this inaugural year. We want groups to maintain their distinct identities, projects, and ways of collaborating. In their annual reports, we therefore ask groups to highlight the myriad dimensions and positive outcomes of their shared work, to underscore how their work builds from or engages with the humanities, and to describe how mutual support and reciprocity have helped advance their goals.
Eligibility
All active Working Groups and Organizers-of-record during the current academic year.
How to Apply
No application required. Working Groups already submit end-of-year reports using our online form, and those reports, along with Groups’ activity materials submitted throughout the year, will be used as the basis for determining prizes.
Prize Amount(s)
Selected Working Group(s) would receive a maximum of $5,000 per Working Group paid out to individual Working Group Organizers, receiving up to a maximum of $1,000 each. (e.g., A Working Group with 2 Organizers would receive $2,000 paid out to the Organizers at $1,000 each while a Working Group with 10 Organizers would receive $5,000 paid out to the Organizers at $500 each.)
Evaluation Process
Annual reports are already reviewed each summer with an eye toward the Corridor’s internal and external reporting needs. The core administrative team will create a long-list in June/July, and the three Corridor co-Directors will review and reach consensus in August/September on the final prize(s). Prize announcements will be made in September at the start of the new academic year.
Why Are We Doing This?
Collaboration is the core of what Working Groups do: it takes many forms and allows many to find intellectual community and a sense of professional fulfillment. Yet, collaboration in the humanities remains under-acknowledged in institutional and professional reward structures. How can the Corridor further incentivize and recognize individual Organizers who are doing this collaborative work?
While the intellectual community made possible by annual Corridor Working Group funding is rewarding in its own right, this new prize program provides an additional way to celebrate humanities collaborations. It offers Working Groups and their Organizers a monetary reward and CV line item, making their shared work more legible at the institutional level. We anticipate consortium-wide prizes will help individuals be recognized for their collaborative work in their own tenure, promotion, and review processes. We also aim to gather more robust stories from Working Groups as they reflect on their group’s process and activities. By spotlighting a range of successful Working Groups, we will raise awareness about what’s possible within the Corridor and shine a light on how valuable humanities collaborations can be.