The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives (ALBA) is pleased to announce the continuing annual competition for the ALBA George Watt Memorial prizes for the best college student work about the Spanish Civil War, the anti-fascist political or cultural struggles of the 1920's and 1930's, or the lifetime histories and contributions of the Americans who served beside the Spanish Republic from 1937- 1938. This work may take the form of an essay, visual art, video or film, a dance, theatrical work or a musical composition. Two prizes of $500 each will be awarded each year-one to the best undergraduate work and one to the best graduate student work on one or more of the above topics. Work will be judged on the basis of originality and effectiveness of argument or presentation. The work must have been created to fulfill an undergraduate or graduate course or degree requirement. Submissions are encouraged from U.S. and international contestants.
The deadline for receipt of essays is April 1, 2001. Work produced either during the year of submission or during the previous calendar year are eligible for the competition. Essays must be at least 5,000 words long to be considered for the prize. Works in the creative arts should be the result of at least one semester's work. Applicants should email entries to Eunice Lipton at: eunicelipton@earthlink.net. Please be sure to include postal address. Audio cassettes, CDs, video tapes and slides should be sent to: Eunice Lipton, Chair of the George Watt Award Committee, c/o The Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, 799 Broadway, New York, NY 10003. Alert Ms Lipton by email that this has been done.
The award winners will be announced each Spring. The Executive Committee of ALBA will appoint the judges for the contest.
ALBA is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and dissemination of the record of the American role in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War and itsaftermath. ALBA supervises a major archive at Brandeis University (the most comprehensive historical archive documenting the American involvement in the Spanish Civil War) and supports cultural and educational activities related to the war and its historical, political, artistic, and biographical heritage. Some 2,800 American men and women, realizing the danger international fascism presented to the world, came to the defense of the Spanish Republic in the years just prior to the Second World War. On the other side were forces led by rebel Spanish generals supported by Hitler and Mussolini.
The prizes honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln Brigade veteran George Watt (1914-1994), not only for his own long anti-fascist record but also as a symbol of the many American men and women who risked, and sometimes lost, their lives in this struggle. Watt himself was a veteran of Spain who then served in the U.S. Army Corps in World War II. An effective voice for a variety of social causes in his lifetime, Watt was also a driving force behind ALBA.
Posted: 5 February 2001