Celebrating Mississippi’s artists, musicians, and writers
Each year the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters honors creative individuals with an award in their specific field.
The prestigious awards, first made in 1980, are presented in nine categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Life Writing, Youth Literature, Visual Art, Music Composition (Classical), Music Composition (Contemporary), Photography, and Poetry. The Institute's juried competition is one of a kind in the state. Our carefully selected judges, chosen from out of state, are prominent in their field. Supported by Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning and members, MIAL is privately funded, self-perpetuating, and non-profit.
In 1978, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) was dreamed up by a few discerning individuals, including former Governor William Winter and Dr. Cora Norman both of Jackson, Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Dr. Noel Polk both of Hattiesburg, and Mrs. Keith Dockery McLean of Cleveland. These founding members knew that among Mississippi's greatest riches are our artists, writers, and musicians, who must be supported, nurtured, and recognized. To see a list of Charter Members, click here.
Shown above are the 2024 award winners: (top, left to right): Curtis Wilkie, A. H. Jerriod Avant, Bark (Tim & Susan Lee), Charles Reagan Wilson, Jesmyn Ward, Jennifer Drinkwater; (bottom, left to right): Kate Medley, Steve Rouse, Lee Durkee, Angie Thomas, and Stephen Coleman.
The prestigious awards, first made in 1980, are presented in nine categories: Fiction, Non-fiction, Life Writing, Youth Literature, Visual Art, Music Composition (Classical), Music Composition (Contemporary), Photography, and Poetry. The Institute's juried competition is one of a kind in the state. Our carefully selected judges, chosen from out of state, are prominent in their field. Supported by Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning and members, MIAL is privately funded, self-perpetuating, and non-profit.
In 1978, the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) was dreamed up by a few discerning individuals, including former Governor William Winter and Dr. Cora Norman both of Jackson, Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Dr. Noel Polk both of Hattiesburg, and Mrs. Keith Dockery McLean of Cleveland. These founding members knew that among Mississippi's greatest riches are our artists, writers, and musicians, who must be supported, nurtured, and recognized. To see a list of Charter Members, click here.
Shown above are the 2024 award winners: (top, left to right): Curtis Wilkie, A. H. Jerriod Avant, Bark (Tim & Susan Lee), Charles Reagan Wilson, Jesmyn Ward, Jennifer Drinkwater; (bottom, left to right): Kate Medley, Steve Rouse, Lee Durkee, Angie Thomas, and Stephen Coleman.
MIAL Board of Governors 2023-2024.
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Officers for 2023-2024: (top, L to R): Margaret Robbins, Executive Secretary; Jan Taylor, Treasurer; Nancy Guice, Archivist; Traci Stover, Immediate Past President; Laura Howell, President. Not pictured, Julian Rankin, Vice-President.
Virtual Board of Governors meeting September 15, 2021.
2019 2024Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. All rights reserved.