John W. Kluge Prize in the Human Sciences
"During the years I have been associated with the Madison Council and the Library of Congress, I have seen how supplementary private sector resources can help propel an institution like the Library beyond its government-supported role to become a leader in education and scholarship. My hope is that this new award will build on these accomplishments and enhance the dialog between scholars and lawmakers to the benefit of our larger democratic society." — John W. Kluge
The Prize
Through the generosity of John W. Kluge, founding chairman of the James Madison Council, the Library's private sector advisory body, the Library of Congress offers a recurring major award celebrating lifetime achievement in the study of humanity. The John W. Kluge Prize is designed deliberately to reward work in the wide range of disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prizes--including history, philosophy, politics, anthropology, sociology, religion, criticism in the arts and humanities, and linguistics. The Kluge Prize is international; the recipient may be of any nationality, writing in any language; and the award is near the financial level of the Nobel awards.
The Criteria
The main criterion for a recipient of the Kluge Prize is deep intellectual accomplishment in the study of humanity. The recipient's body of work should evidence over the years growth in maturity and range. The recipient will have demonstrated unusual distinction within a given area of inquiry that also affects perspectives and vision in other areas of study and walks of life. The work should, in large part, be understandable and important for scholars in other fields and for those involved in public affairs.
The Process
Candidates for the Kluge Prize must be nominated by letter with reasons given for the nomination. In order to ensure consideration of as wide a pool of candidates as possible, nominations are solicited from key individuals in appropriate fields from inside the Library and around the world.
Nominators
The Library invites nominations from a wide range of individuals knowledgeable about the humanities and social sciences, located in colleges, universities, embassies, and research institutions across the globe, as well as from independent scholars and writers and from Library curators. The invitation is by a letter that gives the guidelines required for a nomination. Because the group of nominators will grow and change over the years, suggestions for nominators are always welcome.
Nominations
Nominations must be made in writing giving a detailed assessment of the nominee's accomplishments. Explanatory documentation is helpful, and is essential for any nomination submitted by anyone other than an invited nominator. Nominations may be submitted initially by fax or email. Nominations and any supporting material should be sent to:
Kluge Prize
Office of Scholarly Programs
Library of Congress LJ 120
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20540-4860
Telephone: 202-707-3302
Fax: 202-707-3595
Email: klugeprize@loc.gov
Assessment
The entire evaluation process is held in strictest confidence. Evaluation of the submitted nominations takes place in several stages. Once internal and external nominations have been collected, independent outside experts are called upon to prepare formal peer reviews and informal assessments. On the basis of this material, as well as the evaluation by Library curators of works of scholarship by promising candidates, the Librarian of Congress selects a group of finalists. For each finalist, a dossier is prepared that contains biographical and bibliographic information, as well as key excerpts from seminal works, critiques, commentaries, and specially commissioned peer reviews. A Final Review Panel then reviews each person in that group intensively and comprehensively, considering his or her entire life’s work as documented in the dossiers. The Final Review Panel, when needed, solicits advice, and even commissions special studies. The committee presents the arguments in favor of and against each finalist to the Librarian of Congress, who draws upon all the evaluation and discussion to make the final decision concerning the award of the John W. Kluge Prize.
Announcement
The recipient of the latest Kluge Prize was announced on November 15, 2006. The award will be conveyed at a ceremonial event in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress on December 5.
The Library of Congress
Created by the Congress of the United States in 1800 as the first federal cultural institution, today's Library of Congress comprises the most universal collection of information and knowledge in the history of the world. Its treasures - more than 130 million items in all - range from ancient Chinese woodblock prints to the papers of the nation's Founding Fathers to the most recent data in digital form.
