Schnitzer Prize of the West

Our vision is for the Schnitzer Prize to serve as a “Nobel Prize” for the American West. In its inaugural year, we are relying on the guidance and expertise of our Advisory Committee to shape this ambitious vision.

Potential topics range from climate change to landscape ecology, conservation, ranching, farming, water allocation, fisheries, forestry, indigenous sovereignty, sustainability, history, art, policy, and more.

Prize laureates will be recognized at a Prize ceremony and receive a significant cash gift and a contemporary artwork selected by Jordan Schnitzer. Their story will be celebrated through a multimedia campaign with national reach.

While certainly hard to define, we are speaking of it geographically as an expansion upon the High Desert region in the Western United States beyond the 100th Meridian. There is – and has been for many years – important work being done by many individuals to reimagine the meaning of the American West. See the statement from Bill Lane Center for the American West titled “What is the West?” for more.

Any individual who has worked to deliver a significant, innovative, and collaborative solution towards solving a legacy issue in the American West may be nominated for the Prize of the West.

Additional factors that will be considered in the review of nominations include

• how various parties, non-profits, public agencies, farmers/ranchers, artists, environmentalists, etc. are integrated together;
• how an indigenous voice and a historical perspective are integrated;
• how legacy issues are addressed beyond partisan politics;
• how art and creativity are blended with the sciences, including natural and/or social sciences.

Examples of work for which the Schnitzer Prize of the West is not to be awarded include:

• Organizations, Groups, or Agencies
• Individuals working to deliver solutions for a geographic focus outside the American West
• Individuals whose singular purpose is to advocate or raise awareness
• Individuals whose impact primarily falls into a single discipline or sector
• Individuals who work primarily alone, without robust collaborations or outside partnerships
• Posthumously, after someone has died

Yes. Please read through the nomination eligibility criteria and requested materials before applying. You can submit a nomination here.

Details of the call for nominations will be announced on our website and through our social media channels. Please keep an eye out for announcements.

No. While it is important to remember the stories of those who came before us, the Prize of the West is not awarded posthumously.

Yes. We welcome individuals to submit multiple nominations.

Please review the Eligibility Checklist for details.

No, not by the Schnitzer Prize of the West. However, a log of the nominee’s name and year nominated will be collected and saved for three years for future consideration.

The Advisory Committee is comprised of a small group of individuals from across the American West—Indigenous leaders, farmers, conservationists, researchers, landowners, policymakers, authors, historians, etc. This independent jury represents various regions, disciplines, and lived experiences to provide diverse guidance. Prize laureates are invited to join the Advisory Committee following their award, to give back to the Prize and support the nomination and selection of future Prize winners. View current Advisory Committee Members here!

The Advisory Committee gives thoughtful and meticulous consideration to all the applications to decide and select a winner each year.

The chosen nominee(s) will be notified of their award by a representative of the Schnitzer Prize of the West Advisory Committee. This will typically take place in the spring. There will be a Prize ceremony, which usually takes place in May of each year in both Portland and Bend, Oregon.

Yes. Complete nominations are considered for two consecutive award cycles. An individual can only be awarded the Schnitzer Prize of the West once in a lifetime.

Individual recipients will have the following options according to the applicable provisions of the US Tax Reform Act of 1986:

1. Receive all of the Prize money.
2. Designate one or more charitable (no more than 4 total) institutions appropriately qualified by the US Internal Revenue Service to receive the money.
3. A combination of the above.

Any funds retained by an individual recipient and not transferred to a charitable institution as referred to above will be subject to federal income tax in the United States, under the provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1986.