CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2023 – The American Bar Association is accepting nominations for the 2024 Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts. The Silver Gavel Awards recognize outstanding work that fosters the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system.
This is the ABA’s highest honor in recognition of this purpose. Projects in media and the arts published or released during 2023 may be submitted by January 10, 2024.
The Silver Gavel Awards are returning to the ABA Annual Meeting for the first time since 2005. The presentation will be Saturday, August 3, at 3:00 pm CT, at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.
“This year, we enthusiastically look forward to hosting our Gavel Awards program at the ABA annual meeting in Chicago,” said Lisa Bail, chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards. “This venue allows us to highlight our award winners to the many legal professionals from across the country and around the world who will join us for our annual meeting.”
The Silver Gavel Awards may be given in nine categories, including: books, commentary, documentaries, drama and literature, magazines, multimedia, newspapers, radio and television.
Topics focusing on inequality, injustice, forgiveness, redemption, abortion rights, eavesdropping, affirmative action and modern-day slavery took the top prizes in 2023.
The ABA has presented these awards each year since 1958. The 16-member ABA Standing Committee on Gavel Awards makes the final award decisions. No more than one Silver Gavel is presented in each category. Honorable mentions are also recognized, but awards are not presented in every category every year.
Selection criteria include how the entry addresses the Silver Gavel Awards’ purpose and objectives; educational value of legal information; impact on, or outreach to, the public; thoroughness and accuracy in presentation of issues; creativity and originality in approach to subject matter and effectiveness of presentation; and demonstrated technical skill in the entry’s production.
“Each year we eagerly look forward to reviewing the materials,” Bail said. “The talent and diligence of the people who have been involved in producing them is always astounding, and the stories they share are unforgettable.”
Click here to view past recipients.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerly Twitter) @ABANews.