History

SCMS grants the Distinguished Pedagogy Award for outstanding pedagogical achievements in Cinema and Media Studies. This award is not necessarily given every year, but only when exemplary candidates are identified. The Distinguished Pedagogy Award Committee adjudicates nominations according to criteria of pedagogical achievement in some or all of the following areas: Instruction; Publication and Development of Educational Materials; Service/Value in Cinema and Media Studies Pedagogy. SCMS will present a trophy and a check for $500 to the winner at the annual conference.

For award criteria, click here, and then access the nomination form.

General Instructions and Timeline

• Nominators must be full members of the Society for the 2025-2026 membership year. Supporting letters may come from non-members.
• Nominees may be from teaching colleges, R1 universities, community colleges, or other higher education institutions. They may be full-time, part-time, contingent, or recently retired faculty members. Nominations may cover lifetime teaching achievements or focus on achievements or innovations during a specific time period.
• Members of SCMS may self-nominate for this award.
• Entrants must complete the nomination form through the Awards portal by the annual deadline.
• The SCMS Office notifies nominees by Monday, August 11, 2025. In the case of persons nominated by others, nominees must accept or decline the nomination by Monday, August 25, 2025.
• If the nomination is accepted, the nominator and nominee are responsible for compiling and sending an electronic dossier (details provided below) to the Awards Coordinator at awards@scmsconference.com by Monday, November 3, 2025 with the subject line "Distinguished Pedagogy Award Dossier."
• You can watch a webinar about the Distinguished Pedagogy Award. Held in 2018 as a Facebook live event, the webinar features Board member Miranda Banks and Board treasurer Bambi Haggins discussing the process and expectations for a successful dossier.
  

Dossier Guidelines

Table of Contents (1 page 12 point Times):

1. Curriculum vitae: maximum five pages. May include some but not necessarily all of the following: educational background; teaching positions held; courses taught (including optional brief descriptions); awards, grants; publications; service. All material listed in the C.V., should be related to pedagogy.
2. Nominee's statement: maximum 750 words (3 pages, 12pt Times). Statement should answer the questions: How do I teach? Why do I teach?
3. Nomination summary statement (by nominator or by nominee if self-nominated): maximum 1250 words (5 pages, 12pt Times). Summarizes the nominee's accomplishments and provides overview of supporting documents.

Supporting documents may include all or some of the following:

• letters from students and colleagues;
• evidence of classroom, curricular, or syllabus innovation;
• exposure of graduate students to research opportunities;
• mentorship and advising of students;
• writing or editing of publications on pedagogy or that assist with an understanding of the links between media and pedagogy;
• evidence of media literacies;
• working towards inclusiveness in the classroom and on campus.

Completed dossiers with supporting documents should be no more than 35 pages.

Past winners of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Pedagogy Award:

2025: Karen Redrobe
2024: No award was given
2023: No award was given
2022: No award was given
2021: No award was given
2020: Allison Whitney
2019: Charlie Keil
2018: John T. Caldwell
2017: Ellen Seiter
2016: Eylem Atakav
2015: Matthew Bernstein
2014: Timothy Corrigan
2013: Constance Balides
2012: Marsha Cassidy
2011: Charles Wolfe
2010: No Award was given
2009: Barry Grant
2008: Diane Carson
2007: Chuck Kleinhans