Scholarships, Grants, & Awards
Scholarships:
The Southern Garden History Society offers financial assistance to enable recipients to attend the annual meeting, including a $1,000 travel and lodging stipend, complimentary annual meeting registration, and a two‑year SGHS membership. Programs include the Undergraduate Scholarship for upper‑level students in majors relevant to the Society’s mission, the James R. Cothran Graduate Fellowship for graduate students pursuing research aligned with SGHS goals, and the Young Professional Grant for individuals early in careers related to historic gardens, landscape design, preservation, heirloom plants, and related fields.
Awards & Honors:
The Society presents distinctions that recognize outstanding contributions to Southern garden history and exceptional service to SGHS.
- The Flora Ann Bynum Medal is the Society’s highest honor, awarded to members who have rendered sustained and exemplary service.
- The William Lanier Hunt Award, akin to a lifetime‑achievement recognition, may be presented to members or non‑members—individuals or organizations—whose work in fields such as conservation, garden design and preservation, landscape and garden history, botanical art, ecology, or horticulture has been especially notable.
- The Certificate of Merit may be conferred on a member or non‑member for a significant body of work or a particular project that advances the Society’s mission.
- The title Honorary Director may be bestowed on former officers or board members who have provided exceptional service to the Society’s administration and governance.
Nominations for awards should follow the committees’ submission guidelines—typically a detailed cover letter and requisite letters of support—and should be sent to the chairmen of the Scholarships and Awards Committee or the Nominations Committee as appropriate. Although nominations may be made at any time, they must be received by January 1 to be considered for presentation at the annual meeting.
