Each year, the Mississippi Humanities Council honors scholars, educators, and organizations who have made significant contributions to the public humanities in Mississippi. The 2026 Public Humanities Awards will be held on March 20th at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
2026 Public Humanities Awards Winners
- Cora Norman Award – Katie Blount, Mississippi Department of Archives and History
- Humanities Scholar Award–DeeDee Baldwin, Associate Professor and Engagement Librarian at Mississippi State University
- Humanities Partner– Kevin Brown, author, educator, and community advocate in McComb
- Reflecting Mississippi Award– Dr. Emma Phuong To and Jennifer Le, Gulf Coast Vietnamese Narratives
- Humanities Educator– Hinds Community College’s Flight to Freedom Prison Education Program
MHC also recognizes recipients of the Humanities Teacher Awards, which pay tribute to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields at each of our state’s institutions of higher learning.
2026 Humanities Teacher Awards Winners
- Dr. Jason Beghtol, Northeast Mississippi Community College
- Dr. Karen Bell, Delta State University
- Alice Berry, Rust College
- Zachary Dozier, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
- Suzanne Gibson, Meridian Community College
- Shanell Glass Bailey, Mississippi Valley State University
- Dr. Matthew Guinn, Belhaven University
- Timothy Gutmann, University of Southern Mississippi
- Dr. Amber Harrison Mabus, Holmes Community College
- Dr. Brandon Knight, William Carey University
- T.K. Lee, Mississippi University for Women
- Evan Lenow, Mississippi College
- Jackie Mardis, M.Ed., Copiah-Lincoln Community College
- John Mayer, Blue Mountain Christian University
- Virginia Miller, Hinds Community College
- Dr. Anna Morgan, Itawamba Community College
- Lucia Nelson, Northwest Mississippi Community College
- Erin Pickens Wansley, Tougaloo College
- Dr. Richard Purcell, University of Mississippi
- Joe B. Raymond III, Southwest Mississippi Community College
- Dr. Caleb Smith, Jones College
- Chandler Smith, East Central Community College
- Shelly Stolp, Pearl River Community College
- Dr. William Storey, Millsaps College
- Dr. Kemeshia Swanson, Mississippi State University
- Yolanda Williams, Jackson State University
Awards Gala Sponsorships and Ticket Information
Four sponsorship levels are available for the Mississippi Humanities Council Public Humanities Awards ceremony and reception. Individual and additional tickets are $50 each. Purchases can be made through the MHC website or by sending a check to the Mississippi Humanities Council, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Room 317, Jackson, MS 39211.
- Humanities Patron – $1,000
- 6 tickets to the event
- Listed as Humanities Patron on social media posts and in the event booklet
- Humanities Hero – $500
- 4 tickets to the event
- Listed as Humanities Hero in the event booklet
- Humanities Partner – $350
- 3 tickets to the event
- Listed as Humanities Partner in the event booklet
- Humanities Supporter – $200
- 2 tickets to the event
- Listed as Humanities Supporter in the event booklet