Alice Smith Prize in Public History

Alice Smith Prize in Public History Submission 2023 Form

The Alice Smith Prize in Public History honors a public history project completed in the previous calendar year that contributes to broader public reflection and appreciation of the Midwestern past. The prize is named after the director of research at the Wisconsin Historical Society from 1947 to 1965 who authored six books and numerous articles on the state's history.

Projects by individuals, groups, community organizations, businesses, or other organizations or work done in support of such projects may be nominated. Projects may include, but are not limited to, the following areas: media, exhibits, public programs or written works (such as research reports, brochures, working papers, or historical fiction) that broaden public history understanding. Non-fiction books and journal articles are not eligible for this award.

The winner of the 2023 Alice Smith Prize in Public History is the Humanities Kansas podcast series, “Kansas 1972.”

Commemorating the founding year of Humanities Kansas (1972), project director Tracy Quillin, historian and host Kara Heitz and audio engineer Emily Milner created a podcast series that highlights the impact of the “modern Midwest” on the nation. While researching and recording numerous episodes full of surprising moments of Kansas history in the early 1970s, the podcast team also shed light on the turbulent and transformative impact of this era on the whole nation.

The committee was impressed with how the podcast episodes seamlessly moved from Kansas history to national history, exploring topics of rural and urban history, politics and elections, environmental history, minority rights movements, and even the space race. This fascinating contextualization of Kansas history prompts the listening public to rethink the cultural impact of modern Kansas in terms of a broader national narrative.

The committee also noted the wide range of multimedia sources used in each episode, as well as the sophisticated style of presentation that offers gripping eyewitness accounts along with informative historians’ arguments. While this blend of primary and secondary sources demonstrates to the public how professional historical narratives are crafted, the podcasters also provided links to their sources, encouraging listeners to “go further” and engage in further historical exploration themselves.

The committee also commends the way Humanities Kansas has chosen the podcast as an intentional way to reach wider and younger audiences, acknowledging that “audio storytelling is experiencing a renaissance.” The accessibility of their podcast as well as its inclusion into Kansas public radio broadcasts ensured the wide impact of this history project on the public. This intriguing, innovative podcast certainly fulfills Humanities Kansas mission to “share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.” The “Kansas 1972” podcast also reflects the ideals of the Alice Smith Prize – to produce public history projects that encourage “reflection and appreciation” of midwestern history.

Past Recipient

2021 Recipient: Iowa Statehood 175 Commemoration Project, State Historical Museum of Iowa

The Iowa Statehood 175 Commemoration Project successfully fulfills its stated mission of inviting “Iowans of all ages to learn more about the people and places that have shaped the land for more than 13,000 years.” This truly inclusive and well-coordinated public history project brought together people and technology from across the state. The 3D virtual tour of the State Historical Museum provided an accessible, inviting, and fun introduction to the Project. Offering historical tool kits and popup exhibits to historical societies and other educational institutions across the state provided an impressive range of resources that helped remove financial barriers while also creating partnerships that will encourage future intellectual growth and historical projects in the state. Sponsoring online book clubs, film viewings, children’s programs, and webinars, the Project also offered multiple ways for the public to interact with an impressive range of Iowa scholars whose work covered a diverse array of perspective on Iowa history. In sum, we believe this project exemplifies how a commitment to highlight multiple voices and contributions empowers the larger community to succeed.

Photo by Ted Frantz