APA/PDC Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs

In cooperation with the American Philosophical Association

The American Philosophical Association and the Philosophy Documentation Center jointly sponsor this annual Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs. The aim of the prize is to recognize programs that risk undertaking new initiatives and do so with excellence and success. The prize is also intended to publicize these programs so that they may inspire and influence others to follow their lead.

Award

The award in given at a prize ceremony at an APA conference, generally the Eastern Division meeting. A representative of the winning program receives a plaque confirming the award, and the winner's host institution receives campus-wide online access to a bundle of philosophy resources for the following year. The value to the host institution is approximately $2,900. This brings a tangible benefit to all students and faculty at the host institution, with the intention of strengthening interest in, and support for, the award winning program.

Eligibility and Criteria

Eligible programs include departments of philosophy in colleges and universities, as well as institutes, societies, publishers, or other organizations that develop philosophy programs or projects aimed at promoting or developing research, teaching, or the public understanding of philosophy. Eligible programs must be based primarily in the United States, though they may have an international dimension. Previous winners may be nominated again after a period of at least five years from the original award date.

Excellence is assessed by a record of achievement, the accomplishment of clearly defined goals, and the appropriateness of the program for emulation by others in the field. Innovation is assessed by the development of new research areas, new interdisciplinary or international connections, new modes of teaching or dissemination, new audiences for philosophical work, or extensions of existing boundaries of the discipline.

The selection committee consists of five people appointed by the APA's Committee on Lectures, Publications, and Research, and includes two representatives of the Philosophy Documentation Center.

Nomination Procedure

Any APA member familiar with a program, including those involved in its creation or direction, may nominate it. Nominations must be supported by at least three statements speaking to the criteria outlined above. Other appropriate supportive material may accompany nominations. Please submit all materials electronically to Linda Nuoffer (lnuoffer@udel.edu). The Award Selection Committee may, at its discretion, solicit additional information.

DEADLINE: Nominations, with supporting material, are due by June 30, 2013.

Questions may be directed to Linda Nuoffer at lnuoffer@udel.edu. Nominations will remain in effect for three years, and nominees from previous years will be notified of the opportunity to update supporting material.

2012 Winner

The University of Chicago Civic Knowledge Project's Winning Words Philosophy Program

Past Winners

2012: The University of Chicago Civic Knowledge Project's Winning Words Philosophy Program

2011: Teaching Children Philosophy Program at Mount Holyoke College

2010: Stance: An International Undergraduate Philosophy Journal, Ball State University Philosophy Department

2009: No Award Given

2008: The Paar Center for Ethics at the University of North Carolina

2007: The Philosophy Program at Davidson College

2006: The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, Illinois Institute of Technology

2005: Carroll-Cleveland Philosophers' Program, John Carroll University

2004: Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy

2003: The Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics at Georgia State University

2002: The Community Working Classics Program at Grand Valley State University

2001: Institute For The Advancement of Philosophy For Children at Montclair State University

2000: Institute for Ethics and Policy Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas