Arnold Zwicky Award

Purpose

This award, given for the first time in 2021, is intended to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ scholars in Linguistics and is named for Arnold Zwicky, the first LGBTQ+ President of the LSA. The winner will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony at the LSA Annual Meeting. Beginning in 2022, as part of the Award, the Award winner will receive a one-year complimentary membership to the LSA. This award is given annually as nominations warrant.

Nominations will open in the spring of 2025.

Eligibility

The Zwicky Award recognizes LGBTQ+ linguists who have made significant contributions to the discipline, the Society, or the wider LGBTQ+ community through scholarship, outreach, service, and/or teaching. Eligible applicants will be current members of the LSA and identify within the LGBTQ+ community. Eligibility is open to applicants at any career stage.

The prize is intended to recognize distinguished accomplishments by LGBTQ+ scholars, whether working directly on LGBTQ+ issues in language or not. Nominations will be considered based on excellence in one or more of the following areas, focusing on the most recent 3-5 year period:

• Scholarship, including presentations, reports, and publications
• Outreach outside academia, including podcasts, interviews, and journalistic publications
• Service to the LGBTQ+ community, including activist and advocacy work, organizing, and mentorship
• Teaching, including excellence in course design, creation of teaching materials, and sharing teaching expertise with others
• Other information relevant to their work as an LGBTQ+ scholar in Linguistics

Nominations consist of a nomination form, an updated CV for the nominee, and a brief citation that can be read at the presentation of the award. Self-nominations and nominations by others are equally welcome.

Selection

The LSA Committee on LGBTQ+ [Z] Issues in Linguistics reviews nominations and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee, which must formally approve the recommendations.