Wisconsin museums of all sizes and disciplines, and the individuals who work and volunteer in these institutions make a significant impact on the profession, their communities, their institutions and the museum field. The Wisconsin Federation of Museums Awards of Excellence recognizes these contributions, best practices and excellence of member organizations and museum professionals through the annual presentation of the Ann Koski Professional Excellence Award, the Institutional Excellence Award, and the Volunteer Excellence Award.
Eligibility
Only Wisconsin Federation of Museums (WFM) members (institutional or individual) may submit nominations for the WFM Awards of Excellence. Nominees for the Professional Excellence Award and the Institutional Excellence Award must be either WFM individual members or associated with a WFM institutional member. Nominees for the Volunteer Excellence Award do not need to be WFM members, but should be associated with a WFM institutional member organization.
Award Categories
Ann Koski Professional Excellence Award
Awarded to a Wisconsin Museum professional (director, educator, curator, development coordinator or other museum professional) for their contributions to their Wisconsin museum and overall service to the museum profession. The nominee must be a WFM individual member or work for a WFM institutional member organization.
Institutional Excellence Award
Awarded to a WFM member organization for excellence in exhibit design, educational programming, institutional promotion, collection conservation or preservation. The organization must be a WFM institutional member.
Volunteer Excellence Award
Awarded to an individual for their excellence in volunteer service to their museum institution. Though a WFM member must nominate the individual, the volunteer is not required to be a WFM member.
Submission of Nominations
To be considered, nominations must include:
- Official Nomination Form
The application form is now in a fillable PDF file. Simply complete the fields in the PDF file, save the document, print if you would like and submit either via email or mail. Adobe Reader is available for free here. - Supporting materials:
- One-page narrative (12-point font) highlighting why the nominee should receive the selected award
- Two letters of endorsement for the individual or institution
- No more than two additional forms of supporting documentation (photographs, brochures, newsletters, etc.)
- Multiple nominations may be submitted by an institution, but must be clearly separated. Each nomination must have a separate nomination form and appropriate supporting material.
Mail the completed application to:
Tamara Lange
c/o Sheboygan County Historical Society and Museum
3110 Erie Avenue
Sheboygan, WI 53081
or by email:
Materials must be submitted no later than September 1 to be considered.
Presentation of Awards
The Awards of Excellence are presented at the annual Fall Meeting of the Wisconsin Federation of Museums. Recipients will be notified approximately one month prior to the meeting in hopes they can attend for the award presentation. Recipients will also be featured in the WFM Newsletter and on the WFM website.
Questions?
Contact Tamara Lange at or 920-458-1103.