The Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism

The Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism is an award for reviewers, critics, and journalists in the U.S. from under-represented groups (women, people of the global majority, trans, and non-binary) who write about theater and its role in highlighting people from various cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

The purposes of the prize are to (1) cultivate relationships between ATCA and diverse critics, (2) encourage increased readership of cultural criticism composed by diverse writers, and (3) offer monetary support for critics from under-represented groups

The prize includes $1,000 for the recipient, one free year of ATCA membership, and a travel stipend to help offset some costs for an upcoming ATCA conference.

The Edward Medina Prize is sponsored in part by Critical Minded, an initiative to invest in cultural critics of color cofounded by The Nathan Cummings Foundation and The Ford Foundation.

Application Instructions

Apply through link here.

The short application asks applicants to upload a short bio, a short personal statement and up to three writing samples. Writing samples can be op-eds, long-form reviews, essays, or feature articles.

All applications are reviewed by a panel of judges who are professionals in theater, journalism, and/or communications. 2024 applications will be open from July 8, 2024 at midnight ET to August 16, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET. All applicants will be notified of their application status by October 1, 2024. The Medina Prize will be presented in November 2024.