The Forum Prize

An Overview

The Forum Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to public engagement made by works about the ancient Greek and Roman world that have originated outside of the academy. The Forum Prize empowers the SCS to build bridges with a broader public by rewarding the best public-facing essay, book, poem, article, podcast, film, or other piece produced each year, either by a classicist or by a nonclassicist.

"The Society for Classical Studies Forum Prize" is awarded annually by the Outreach Prizes Committee in one of the following categories:

  • Nonfiction (including podcasts);
  • Fiction (including podcasts);
  • Visual art and multimedia (film, TV, plastic arts, etc.)

The Forum Prize will consist of (1) a cash award of $500, (2) a five-year membership in the Friends of the Classics membership category, and (3) an inscribed gift from the Society. The Outreach Prizes Committee will invite the Forum Prize winner to the SCS Annual Meeting to be part of a public awards ceremony.

Eligibility and Nominations

Nominated contributions can be in any language and from any global region. Nominations should be for works completed in 2022, 2023, or 2024. There is no fee associated with a nomination. Self-nominations are welcome. Please nominate for the Outreach Prize (https://classicalstudies.org/awards-and-fellowships/scs-outreach-prize) instead any eligible work that has arisen within the academy.

Please note that the Forum Prize and the Outreach Prize each will be awarded only to works that have not infringed upon the intellectual property of others. For further information in this regard, please see the SCS Guidelines on Podcasting and Copyrighted Materials and also the SCS resource on using images in teaching and publication.

In 2025, the Forum Prize nomination period will run from October 1 to October 31.

All nominations will include a concise statement (limited to 250 words) explaining why and how, in the nominator’s opinion, the work engages with the public in terms of creativity, outreach, impact, relevance, diversity, vision, and/or timeliness.

To apply, please submit a nomination through our award, fellowship, and grant application system: apply.classicalstudies.org. The form will open for submissions during the nomination period.

When the nomination period closes, the Outreach Prizes Committee will usually determine the winner within one month.

Previous Winners

Awards & Fellowships