ELIGIBILITY

Projects completed by federal and non-federal entities (including non-profits, state governments, and federal contractors) are eligible, so long as the project relates to the interpretation, display, or historic preservation of federal history.

For historical/interpretive display, eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, the following:

● Exhibitions: in museums, cultural centers, and other public venues

● Public Interpretive Programs: lecture series, walking tours, web-based apps related to a physical space, oral history projects, outreach activities, educational programs, workshops, interpretive media, etc.

● Major Initiatives: anniversary projects, agency initiatives, commemorative projects

For historic preservation activities, eligible projects may include, but are not limited to, the following:

● Restoration projects dedicated to preserving historic resources such as records, artifacts, buildings, historical sites, or other historical entities

● Major programs that contribute to larger historic preservation efforts. 

Projects must have been completed within the last two calendar years.

Projects may be re-nominated, as long as the re-nomination includes a description of any updates since the original nomination (and still meet the requirement of completion within the past two years).

Criteria

Nominations and supporting materials should specifically address the following criteria:
1. Exemplary practices that serve as models for future federal activity.
2. Significant value in furthering history in and of the federal government.
3. The quality of historical research and interpretation resulting from the use of archival material, material culture, oral history, or any other appropriate form of documentary evidence.
4. (When applicable) A high level of technical expertise in the field of historic preservation, including rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, and preservation aligned with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.

Email shfg.award@gmail.com for more information. 

Submission Process

1. Submit nomination through Google forms by January 31, 2025.
2. Include a written narrative not to exceed 1,000 words describing the exhibition or preservation project, and a separate explanation not to exceed 500 words addressing how the project aligns with the evaluation criteria.
3. Include supporting visual materials of key aspects of the activity or project, appropriately labeled. These materials may include: photographs, plans, elevations, brochures, or news clips (all submitted material becomes the property of SHFG).

Email supplemental materials to shfg.award@gmail.com with the title of the project in the subject line. 

Committee Members

Jordan Grant
New Media
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

Alexander Poster

Historian

Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State

Susan Dawson

Branch Chief Historian

Office of Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security