CALL FOR ENTRIES ANNOUNCED FOR AWARD FOR CREATIVE PROCESS AT OU

NORMAN – Nominations for the biennial $40,000 Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize honoring the creative process are being sought by the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences.  The prize was established in 2002 to recognize and encourage the process of creativity as it unfolds and is expressed by individuals in diverse ways.  The deadline for Phase One of the application process is Nov. 15.

 Oklahoma City supporter and award founder Jeanne Hoffman Smith says she established the award to further society’s awareness of and focus on this important and often under-explored area.  “The goal of the prize is to stimulate a better understanding of the creative process itself and to motivate creative individuals to develop their own original ideas into projects,” she says.  “We are excited to announce the third round of submissions for this biennial prize.”

  “The prize has no boundaries.  This means it is not an art award or a history award or a writing award or a medical award.  It’s a creative award.  That’s where the world is going in all fields,” said last year’s recipient, Steven C. Levi.

  Levi also noted that the prize has opened many new doors for him, and he believes that the creative force is what is going to keep the United States ahead of the game.  “The Americans who are going to save America are the creative individuals.  They are the ones who are going to be coming up with the innovations that will break the mold of the-way-things-have-been.  I like to think I’m one of those Americans, and the prize proves it.”

"The Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize reflects a growing need to financially and culturally support our country’s original thinkers,” said University of Oklahoma President David Boren.  “The fact that a university with OU’s tradition of academic excellence is home to such a generous and forward-thinking concept makes me very proud.  It’s a natural partnership.”

Any U.S. citizen is eligible to apply for the award.  Submissions are open to all fields of creativity, including, but not limited to, the arts, cultural affairs, education and science.  Applicants are asked to submit a one-page letter detailing the creative process to date of the project they are submitting for consideration.  The summary should describe the vision and purpose of the project, and why it should receive special recognition.  The focus must be on the creative process itself (completed projects will not be considered).  Four copies must be signed, dated and postmarked by midnight on Nov. 15.  Letters should be sent to Creativity in Motion, University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, 633 Elm Ave., Norman, OK, 73018-3118.  After reviewing the letters, 50 individuals will be notified by Jan. 31, 2007, that they have been chosen to submit full applications, which must be completed and sent back by April 1, 2007.  A panel of expert jurors will review proposals and select and notify the winner in early August 2007.  The prize will be awarded at a special event Sept. 5, 2007, at OU.

About the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize

The Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize, established in 2002, is funded through the generous contributions of Oklahoma City supporter Jeanne Hoffman Smith.  This biennial award, dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging the creative process, is a collaborative effort with OU’s College of Arts and Sciences.  The prize awards an unrestricted sum of $40,000 to an individual whose work demonstrates original thinking and the promise of continuing creative work.  It celebrates a visionary work in process, recognizing the potential power of its original expression to affect and enrich the world around us. The work or project must be under way but not completed at the time of application.  Named to honor Jeanne Hoffman Smith’s mother and father, Grace Thatcher and Roy Hoffman, Jr., this unrestricted award is unique in its lack of parameters.