Award Nomination Process

Nomination Process

  • The nomination form should be completed online or the form can be printed and returned to the Tennessee Arts Commission by mail.
  • The form must be completed with all required information, see below for details.
  • The items supplied with the nomination form are expected to clearly represent how the nominee meets the criteria for the award category which he/her is being nominated for.
  • Nominations may be submitted by organizations or individuals.
  • Organizations or individual(s) may only submit one nomination per award category.
  • Nominees for a Governor’s Arts Award must be a Tennessee organization or an individual living in or with close ties to Tennessee. No awards will be presented posthumously.
  • Previous recipients are not eligible for the 2021 Governor’s Arts Awards. See a complete list here.

Required Information

The nomination form and required information is expected to be a clear representation of the nominee’s strengths and contributions to the arts in Tennessee and should reflect why the individual, organization, community, or business is being nominated for a specific category.

How to apply:

  • Complete the online nomination form or download the form and complete with Acrobat Reader and print a hard copy.
  • If completing online, upload the documents below when prompted.
  • If mailing, submit the hard copies of the following documents with the printed form and mail to:
    Governor’s Arts Awards Committee
    Tennessee Arts Commission
    401 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
    Nashville, TN 37243-0780

Please provide, in the following order:

1. Narrative – Provide a double-spaced narrative of no more than five pages detailing the nominee’s contribution to the arts in a specific award category and why the individual, organization, community, or business merits consideration for a Governor’s Arts Award.

2. Letters of Support – Provide at least three, but no more than five current letters of support for each nomination. Support letters should provide the selection committee with important testimonies and additional information about your nominee. Letters may be written by colleagues, board members, community leaders, educators, etc. Support letters MUST be included in the online form or in the nomination package with the above information and should not be mailed under separate cover.

Selection Process

• In addition to the review of submitted information, the selection committee may seek diversity
in geographical and/or artistic discipline when recommending awards

• Recipients will be notified by the Tennessee Arts Commission in the summer/fall of 2021.

• Unless selected, nominations will remain active for one additional Governor’s Arts Awards.

• Recipients are selected by an inter-board committee.


For more information about the nomination or selection process, please contact Krishna Adams.