Vermont Humanities

Swenson Award Nominations

Teachers and students on mountain bikes at the top of a hill in Vermont

Swenson Award

The Victor R. Swenson Humanities Educator Award recognizes a Vermont educator in grades 6 through 12 who exemplifies excellence in the teaching of the humanities.

How to Nominate an Educator

We require a nomination letter and a second letter of support.

The documents must demonstrate how the educator goes “above and beyond” to meet the qualifications for the award.

Swenson Award Nomination Form

Nominees must be a Vermont educator for grades 6 through 12 who:

  • Inspires his or her students and encourages in them intellectual curiousity and a lifelong love of learning
  • Possesses extraordinary knowledge, ability, and accomplishment in the teaching of language, literature, history, social studies, or other humanities fields
  • Exhibits infectious enthusiasm for his/her subject and learning in general
  • Embodies a commitment to the highest standards of achievement, for him/herself and students

This year, we’re asking nominators to tell us how teachers have excelled in working under the difficult circumstances presented by the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and structural racism.

Individuals may not nominate themselves. Current members of the Vermont Humanities board and staff and members of the judging committee are not eligible to receive the award.

Don’t want to fill out the online form? Mail the letter of nomination and a second letter of support to the Vermont Humanities office.

After reviewing the nominations, the judging committee will seek additional supporting material. Letters of nomination are due at the Vermont Humanities office by August 1, 2022.

Vermont Humanities*** November 24, 2014

A woman with gray hair wearing a blue shirt reads from a music stand in front of a seated crowd in a state park

Our seasonal “Words in the Woods” program allows Vermonters and visitors to enjoy our state’s natural beauty while listening to and reading literature in the outdoors.

Middle school students in costume on stage during Shakespeare play

Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.

Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin with students in front of a schoolbus

We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”

African man in dark pants and shirt leading a group of children in a dance in a school gymnasium

We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.

Woman raising her hand during a public event

Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.