Nominations Open for 2022 Medallion for Intellectual Achievement

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2021) — The University of Kentucky Libraries is accepting nominations for the 2022 University of Kentucky Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement now until Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.

Created in 1990 and considered one of UK’s most prestigious awards, the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement is awarded to a Kentucky resident whose accomplishments represent the pinnacle of education and creative thought in the fields of science, literature, art and philanthropy.

To be eligible, nominees must be a Kentucky native or have more than three years of study, work or residency in Kentucky. Individuals or groups may be considered. Final selection of the medallion recipient is determined by majority vote of the UK Libraries National Advisory Board.

Past recipients, which include Thomas D. Clark, Ph.D.; Wendell Berry; Carolyn Hammer; Bobbie Ann Mason, Ph.D.; Laman A. Gray Jr., M.D.; George C. Wright, Ph.D.; Douglas Scutchfield, M.D.; Everett McCorvey, D.M.A.; and — most recently —  Distinguished Professor in Residence in Appalachian Studies at Berea College bell hooks, Ph.D., may be found on the UK Libraries website here

The nomination process is easy; simply fill out this nomination form. Nomination statements should focus on the following criteria:

  • description of the achievement realized;
  • significance of the nominee's accomplishments; and
  • endorsements of the nominee's work.

Physical forms may be mailed to: Libraries Medallion Selection, 1-85 William T. Young Library, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506-0456. Electronic submissions may be emailed to the Dean of Libraries at the email below.

If you have additional questions regarding the award or the nomination process, please contact Amanda Jewell, administrative assistant for the Office of the Dean, at awjewe2@email.uky.edu.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.