Coming Up Taller Awards

Coming Up Taller Awards Promote Outstanding Community Arts And Humanities Programs.

Now known as the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, the Coming Up Taller Awards recognize exemplary arts and humanities programs which foster young people's intellectual and creative development. Programs recognized by these awards provide opportunities for American youth to contribute to their communities through learning and practical experiences in the humanities and arts endeavors.

Honorees of the program are awarded $10,000, plaques and certificates of excellence. Museums, libraries, cultural institutions and juvenile detention centers outstanding in their program excellence are eligible for recognition by nomination through application, which must be completed by the deadline, early in the year of the nominations. Awards are presented at the White House in the last quarter of each year. Communities from countries worldwide may be nominated and recieve the prestigious award for community programs which educate and prepare young people for greater potential through disciplines and achievements in humanities and the arts.

The Coming Up Taller Awards are a joint effort on the part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities and the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The recognition of exemplary community arts and humanities programs strives for a goal of encouraging communities to invest in youth programs for humanities and the arts. First Lady, Michelle Obama, Honorary Chairman of the President's Committee said it best at the 2009 Coming Up Taller ceremony saying, "You ask our young people to dream and you give them the tools to fulfill those dreams. You affirm that their contributions are valuable and that their success matters to all of us."

The Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference in Washington, DC is the culmination of the important work that entities receiving the award attend, by invitation only. The Coming Up Taller Awards have been given to deserving programs since 1998 and are sponsored by contributing individuals, foundations and corporations who desire to furthur the program's goals through donations. The National Arts and Humanities Youth Programs Awards have created a springboard from which community arts and humanities programs may be effectively developed for the enhanced future of American youth.