The Virginia Hammill Simms Award
The Virginia Hammill Simms Award is a community-driven award, recognizing the volunteer efforts of individuals contributing to the arts in the Huntsville/Madison County community. The award is sponsored and administered by Community Ballet Association, and has been annually awarded since its inception in 1967.
The Katherine & Richard Lester Emerging Arts Contribution Award
In 2015 a new award category was included as part of the Virginia Hammill Simms Awards ceremony. The new category is the Katherine & Richard Lester Emerging Arts Contribution Award. This new award was created to recognize an individual that is newer to the arts community, but whose volunteer contributions over the past year has made a dramatic impact in the Huntsville/Madison County arts community. The new award recognizes young volunteerism in the arts, and in turn encourages the same level of engagement in the arts community. Nominees cannot be older than forty (40) years of age, and must have lived in the Huntsville/Madison County area for no less than two (2) years.
The Nomination Process
The nomination process for both awards begins months prior to the awards dinner. Nominees are put forward for consideration by arts organizations, and an impartial panel of judges from outside of the state of Alabama select the award recipient. Nominees must have lived in the Huntsville/Madison County area for no less than three (3) years for the Virginia Hammill Sims Award, and two (2) years for the Katherine & Richard Lester Award. The selection process utilizes criteria (see Criteria Page) focused on selecting the individual who has made the greatest volunteer contribution to the Huntsville/Madison County arts community. The prestigious Virginia Hammill Simms and the Katherine and Richard Lester Award are presented at an annual dinner. The event features a program honoring the nominees, and the announcement of the winners of both awards.
To access the online nomination forms click on the Nominate page; for more about the history and tradition of the awards click on the History page linked above.
To access the online nomination forms click on the Nominate page; for more about the history and tradition of the awards click on the History page linked above.
