The Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology was initiated by royalties from Applied Anthropology in America (Elizabeth M. Eddy and William L. Partridge, eds., 1978), a volume dedicated to Solon Kimball, "who taught that the study of human behavior should be of service to people." The award has been presented every other year since 1984 at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting. Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Solon T. Kimball Award for Public and Applied Anthropology now provides a $1000 prize.
The Kimball Award offers an opportunity to honor exemplary anthropologists for outstanding recent achievements that have contributed to the development of anthropology as an applied science and have had important impacts on public policy. The range of eligible nominees is unusually broad: the Kimball Award can be given to individuals or to a team (including collaborators outside of anthropology) and is not restricted by nationality, anthropological specialization, or type of employment. The anthropological contribution may be theoretical or methodological. The impact on public policy may be in any area, domestic or international, for example biodiversity, climate change, energy, international relations, medicine, public health, language conservation, education, criminal justice, development, or cultural heritage. Nominations recognizing disciplinary path-breakers who are shaping and strengthening the discipline of anthropology, and which honor those who might otherwise be overlooked, are especially encouraged.
Application Procedures
Nominees for the Kimball Award may be proposed by others, or may be self-nominated.
A nomination package should include the following. All materials must be provided in three (3) copies, submitted as one package.
- Five letters of nomination. At least one letter should present a comprehensive description of the nominee's career, emphasizing the accomplishment(s) over the previous decade justifying the award. This letter should show the relevance of the supporting materials provided in the nomination package. The other letters may be shorter, but each letter should provide insight into some aspect of the nominee's recent work. The letters should explain to an anthropological but non-specialist audience the theoretical, methodological, or policy contributions, not merely praise them. All letters should demonstrate the connection between theoretical or methodological advancement of the discipline as an applied science and the specific contribution to public policy.
- The nominee's resume or curriculum vitae. This document should not exceed 10 pages.
- Supporting materials. Additional supporting materials should not exceed three items, selected to illustrate the nominee's disciplinary and policy contributions. These may include published or unpublished documents (such as journal articles or agency reports), or professional products in other media (for example, a training video). Documents must be provided in hard copy. Materials in other media must be in a CD-ROM format suitable for viewing on a Windows PC. Do not submit books or other lengthy materials. Three copies of all supporting materials are required.
- The purpose of supporting materials is to help the award committee understand the nominee's approach and contributions, not conduct a peer review. In selecting materials for submission, emphasize quality over quantity. Insofar as possible, select materials that can be evaluated by a panel of anthropologists with varied backgrounds, who are unlikely to be specialists in the nominee's area of study.
Additional Criteria
- Nomination packages must be submitted in time to be received by June 1, 2016.
- The accomplishments providing the basis of a nomination must have been made within the decade preceding the receipt of the award.
- Where collaborative efforts provide the basis for a nomination, the collaboration must have been sustained over at least three years.
Nomination packages should be sent to:
Solon Kimball Award Committee (Attn: Kathy Ano)
American Anthropological Association
2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 1301
Arlington, VA 22201
Questions regarding nomination procedures may be directed to the chair of the award committee, Dr. David Griffith (griffithd@ecu.edu).
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.aaanet.org/about/Prizes-Awards/Solon-Kimball-Award.cfm