Nominations Open for 2027 Medallion for Intellectual Achievement

UK Libraries is accepting nominations for the 2027 University of Kentucky Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement now until Friday, October 2.

Created in 1990 and considered one of the university’s most prestigious awards, the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement is awarded annually to a Kentucky resident whose accomplishments in the fields of science, the arts, or the humanities have made a profound impact on the Commonwealth and represent the pinnacle of creative or scholarly thought.

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

Past recipients include Thomas D. Clark, Wendell Berry, Guy Davenport, bell hooks, Bobbie Ann Mason, Everett McCorvey, Brent Seales, and – most recently – Crystal Wilkinson, Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor of English. 

To submit a nomination, please fill out the 2027 Medallion for Intellectual Achievement Nomination Form. Nomination statements should focus on the following criteria:

• Description of the achievement realized
• Significance of the nominee's accomplishments
• Endorsements of the nominee's work

Find additional information on the award criteria and submission requirements on the nomination form. 

The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 2, 2026. If you have any questions regarding the award or the nomination process, please contact David Timoney at davidtimoney@uky.edu or (859) 218-7317.