The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) invites nominations from across East Tennessee for Awards of Excellence in the field of history. Each year, the society recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, programming, and interpretation of the region’s history. The awards have been presented each year since 1982.

Awards are in five categories:

• The Award of Distinction recognizes a special project, such as publications, building preservation, or program, such as a conference, heritage event, lecture series, or other.

• Community History Award recognizes excellence in community leadership, specifically in promoting the preservation of local/regional history and heritage.

• History in the Media Award is presented to someone in the field of television, radio, newspaper, magazine, or Internet for outstanding contributions to the promotion of our region’s history.

• Teaching Excellence Award is for outstanding or innovative teaching of history at any level, grades one through adult education.

The Society’s most prestigious recognition is the Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award is reserved for one who, over the course of a lifetime, has made outstanding contributions to the understanding and preservation of East Tennessee history. It is named for ETHS founder and early historian, Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey, author of The Annals of East Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century.

ETHS Awards of Excellence recipients will be recognized at the East Tennessee Historical Society Annual Meeting on May 14. For more information about the awards or to request a nomination form, please contact the East Tennessee Historical Society by phone at 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.eastTNhistory.org. The deadline for submission is April 13, 2019.

Headquartered in the East Tennessee History Center, the East Tennessee Historical Society was established in 1834 and is a regional organization covering 35 counties and has 2,000 members across the United States. ETHS presents a variety of public programs, including the Museum of East Tennessee History, a lecture series, genealogy workshops, East Tennessee National History Day, and the family history programs, “First Families of Tennessee” and “Civil War Families of Tennessee.”