Americans for the Arts is now accepting nominations for the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards. These annual awards honor elected officials for their consistent and outstanding support and promotion of the arts as key to advancing equity, uniting communities, preserving culture, and boosting the economy. The newly refreshed nominations form is available here.

Since 1997, Americans for the Arts has recognized elected officials of various backgrounds and  political parties at federal, state, and local levels of government. The Public Leadership in the Arts Awards are highly valued and sought after by elected officials, and Americans for the Arts is pleased to partner with various associations of elected officials to present these awards at their conferences. For example, the county leadership award is presented at the National Association of Counties (NACo) conference, and mayoral leadership awards are presented at The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Meeting. More information about our partners is available here. 

Americans for the Arts, in conjunction with the public partners, issues press releases which are distributed to the winner’s geographical area and included in Americans for the Arts’ newsletters, social media, and other communications. Even if an elected official does not win, they are notified of their nomination and who made it, which gives them incentive to keep up their support of the arts in their community and region. Nominating individuals or organizations gain the opportunity to work more closely with their elected official, making the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards a win-win for all.

Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis. Awards are presented at the conferences of each award’s associated public partner:

• The Mayoral Awards are presented in January at the USCM Winter Meeting
• The Governor Award is presented in January at the USCM Winter Meeting
• The Lt. Governor Award is presented in July at the National Lt. Governors Association Annual Conference
• The County Award is presented in July at the NACo Annual Conference
• The State Legislator Award is presented in August at the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit

FAQs about the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards and nomination process are available here. Contact Jay Dick, Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, with any further questions. Americans for the Arts looks forward to receiving nominations for the remainder of 2022! 

Pictured: Leadership Award glass bowl created by Nourot Gallery.