The John Egerton Prize

For his work in chronicling and championing the cause of civil rights in America, and for his contribution to our understanding of the power of the common table, the John Egerton Prize recognizes artists, writers, scholars, and others--including artisans and farmers and cooks--whose work, in the American South, addresses issues of race, class, gender, and social and environmental justice, through the lens of food.

The prize identifies people whose work would benefit from greater freedom, support, and exposure. Nominations of 50 words or less in length are accepted from November through March of each award cycle. Send to sfadesk@olemiss.edu. No self nominations are accepted. Awards are announced each autumn. Candidates should:

1) live or work in the American South;
2) exhibit exceptional creativity;
3) apply the rubric of food to their work;
4) have the potential to make a genuine difference in one or more fields; and
5) stand to truly benefit from a $5,000 investment in their work.

Jurors are:
--Ann Cashion, chef, Washington D.C.
--Makalé Faber-Cullen, anthropologist, New York, NY
--Ashley Graham, food systems investor, New Orleans, LA
--Reid Mizell, consultant, Atlanta, GA
--Malcolm White, arts administrator, Jackson, MS
--Judith Winfrey, farmer, Atlanta, GA
--Kevin Young, poet, Atlanta, GA

Ex Officio members of the jury committee are:
--John Egerton
--John T. Edge

For more information on John Egerton, see our oral history here.

Previous honorees:
2011--Phil Blank, North Carolina artist, musician, and librarian
2010--Calvin Head, Mississippi farming activist, for the West Holmes Community Development Organization
2009--Haley Downs and Julie Kahn, Florida filmmakers, for “Swamp Cabbage”