2025–2026 Request for Submissions
The Skirball Cultural Center invites submissions for its annual Howard I. Friedman Memorial Graduate Essay Prize (The Friedman Prize) for perspectives on American Jewish experience.
The Skirball Cultural Center is guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality.
The Friedman Prize has been established in memory of the Skirball’s founding chairman, Howard I. Friedman.
To coincide with Jewish American Heritage Month, this year’s essay topic asks entrants to explore the role of counterculture in shaping the American Jewish experience. Participants are encouraged to reflect on movements, communities, and creative expressions that challenged mainstream norms—whether in music, literature, activism, art, religion, culture, or alternative social spaces—and consider how these countercultural moments intersect with Jewish values and identity.
Graduate students at universities and seminaries with a terminal MA or PhD awarded no earlier than 2022 are eligible. The author of the winning essay will be awarded $5,000, and their submission will be published in conjunction with the Skirball’s annual Oasis magazine. The winner will also be invited to participate in a future public program at the Skirball.
Submissions should exhibit the highest standards of clarity, originality, engagement with recent scholarship, and accessibility to a broad reading audience. Essays should not be published at the time of submission. All submissions should include an abstract of 100–200 words and a bibliography. A lower limit of 3,000 words (including abstract) is optimal, and submissions of more than 4,000 words (including footnotes) will not be considered.
Please submit your essay and CV in PDF format to mzellner@skirball.org by February 28, 2026, with the subject line “The Friedman Prize.” Make sure your essay title and word count are listed on your CV. In the interest of anonymity, please do not place your first name, last name, or school name on any pages of your essay. The winning essay will be announced before the end of spring 2026.
Friedman Prize Recipients
Donor Support
The Howard I. Friedman Memorial Graduate Essay Prize and related programs are made possible by generous support from the following donors:
Pamela and Jeffrey Balton
Howard Bernstein
Alyce and Philip de Toledo
The Friedman Family
Marcie and Cliff Goldstein
Dennis Holt
Lenart Charitable Trust
Jessie Kornberg and Aaron Lowenstein
Madeline and Bruce Ramer
May and Richard Ziman
Disclaimer
The views, opinions, and interpretations expressed in the winning essays are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Skirball Cultural Center, its leadership, staff, or affiliates. The Skirball Cultural Center does not endorse the perspectives presented and makes no representations regarding the historical accuracy or scholarly validity of any assertions or claims made therein.