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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 190 (Monday, October 1, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59992-59994]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24111]

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NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Announcement of Humanities Medal Design Competition Under the 
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010

AGENCY: National Endowment for the Humanities.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: To encourage artists and designers to create a thoughtful and 
imaginative visual representation of the humanities for a Presidential 
medal, this notice announces the Humanities Medal Design Competition 
under Section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 
(Pub. L. 111-358).

DATES: Competition begins on October 1, 2012, and ends February 1, 
2013. A winner will be announced on or about April 15, 2013, unless the 
term of the competition is extended as provided in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Judy Havemann, Director of 
Communications, National Endowment for the Humanities, (202) 606-8446, 
or medalcontest@neh.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 59993]]

Subject of the Competition

    The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is seeking a new 
design for the National Humanities Medal, which is bestowed annually by 
the President of the United States in a White House ceremony. NEH is 
one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. 
NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions, such as museums, 
archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and 
radio stations, and to individual scholars. (Visit the NEH Web site, 
www.neh.gov.) The National Humanities Medal, inaugurated in 1997, 
honors individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to 
the humanities. Past winners have included author Toni Morrison, 
historian Stephen Ambrose, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, and Nobel 
laureate Elie Wiesel. It is a distinguished group of thinkers who 
deserve a glorious medal. A full list of medal recipients is available 
at www.neh.gov/about/awards/national-humanities-medals. The new medal 
is intended to premiere at the 2013 National Humanities Medal ceremony 
and will serve the NEH far into the future.

Rules for Participating in the Competition

    1. Eligibility. To be eligible to win a prize under this 
competition, you--
    (a) Must register to participate in the competition under the 
Official Rules promulgated by NEH;
    (b) Must comply with all the requirements under this notice and the 
America COMPETES Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-358);
    (c) Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States 
and 18 years of age or older before the submission period ends;
    (d) May not be a Federal employee acting within the scope of your 
employment; and
    (e) May not be an employee of NEH or an immediate family member 
(spouse, parents or step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, children 
and step-children, and household members).
    2. If you are a Federal grantee, you may not use Federal funds to 
develop applications for this competition unless such use is consistent 
with the purpose of your grant award.
    3. If you are a Federal contractor, you may not use Federal funds 
from a contract to develop or fund efforts in support applications for 
this competition.
    4. You may use Federal facilities or consult with Federal employees 
during the competition if the facilities and employees are made 
available to all contestants participating in the competition on an 
equitable basis.
    5. NEH will accept submissions from single individuals only and not 
from entities or groups of individuals. You may, however, submit more 
than one entry if you have developed more than one unique medal design.
    6. Insurance and Indemnification.
    (a) By participating in this competition, you agree to assume any 
and all risks and waive claims against the Federal government and its 
related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any 
injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, 
whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation 
in this competition, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises 
through negligence or otherwise. Provided, however, that you are not 
required to waive claims against NEH arising out of the unauthorized 
use of or disclosure by NEH of your intellectual property or 
confidential information.
    (b) By participating in this competition, you agree to indemnify 
the Federal government against third party claims for damages arising 
from or related to competition activities.
    (c) Based on the subject matter of the competition, the type of 
work that it will possibly require, and an analysis of the likelihood 
of any claims for death, bodily injury, or property damage, or loss 
potentially resulting from participation, NEH does not require you to 
obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in 
order to participate in this competition.
    7. Intellectual Property Rights.
    (a) By submitting a design to the competition, you represent and 
warrant that you are the sole author and owner of the submitted design. 
Designs must be your original work, and must not violate or infringe 
the rights of other parties, including but not limited to privacy, 
publicity, or intellectual property rights, or material that 
constitutes copyright or license infringement. Your design may not 
contain any material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, 
defamatory, or in any way disparaging. Your design cannot have been 
submitted previously in another promotion or contest of any kind.
    (b) You understand and agree that if your entry is selected as the 
winning design, it may be modified or altered by NEH, in its sole 
discretion, as deemed appropriate or necessary to execute, produce, or 
distribute the winning design in its final medal format.
    (c) The winning contestant will, in consideration of the prize to 
be awarded, grant to NEH an irrevocable, royalty-free, exclusive 
worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, copy, display, create 
derivative works, and publicly post, link to, and share, the winning 
design or parts thereof, for the purpose of the competition and for any 
official NEH purpose.
    8. NEH reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, 
suspend, and/or modify the competition for any reason, which includes 
the right to decline to select a winning design if NEH determines that 
no submission satisfactorily meets the selection criteria.
    9. By participating in this competition, you are providing your 
full and unconditional agreement to abide by the rules set forth in 
this notice, and by the Humanities Medal Design Competition Official 
Rules found at humanitiesmedaldesign.challenge.gov.

Process for Participants To Register for the Competition

    NEH will accept submissions only through challenge.gov.
    1. Create an account on humanitiesmedaldesign.challenge.gov or log 
in with an existing ChallengePost account.
    2. On humanitiesmedaldesign.challenge.gov, click ``Accept this 
challenge'' to register your interest in participating. This step 
ensures that you will receive important competition updates.
    3. After you sign up on humanitiesmedaldesign.challenge.gov a 
confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided. Use 
the confirmation email to verify your email address. As a registered 
contestant, you will then be able to enter the competition by 
submitting an application that conforms to the requirements set forth 
herein.
    4. Create a new visual design for the National Humanities Medal. 
NEH invites thoughtful and creative solutions for a new National 
Humanities Medal. Translating the idea of the humanities--the study of 
literature, philosophy, history, and other subjects--into a visual form 
is a challenging task. (For more about the humanities, visit the NEH 
Web site, www.neh.gov.) The design should reflect the importance of the 
award and of the humanities in a graceful, insightful, and ultimately 
beautiful manner.
    a) Your design must include the following: The words ``National 
Humanities Medal'' and a blank area on the back of the medal of at 
least 3 by 1.5 inches. The name of the medalist will be engraved here.

[[Page 59994]]

    b) Things to keep in mind as you draft a design: The medal hangs on 
a ribbon around the neck; the diameter of the medal should be between 3 
to 4 inches; the design can use realistic or abstract elements to 
convey the idea of the humanities; designs should indicate relief 
depths, if possible, and make suggestions for type of metal, materials, 
patinas, and/or colors to be used.
    5. Confirm that you have read and agreed to the Official Rules.
    6. Submit a scanned drawing, a digital drawing, or a photograph of 
a sculpted model to humanitiesmedaldesign.challenge.gov between October 
1, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. EST and February 1, 2013, at 5:00 p.m. EDT by 
uploading a ZIP, PDF, or Word file up to 10 MB. Include written text 
using the description summary area to describe the thought process 
behind the design and how it relates to the humanities.

Amount of the Prize

    The winning contestant will receive $3,000 by electronic transfer 
and be invited to an unveiling of the final medal in Washington DC 
Awards may be subject to Federal income taxes, and NEH will comply with 
the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, 
where applicable.

Basis Upon Which Winner Will Be Selected

    NEH will select a judging panel that will consist of 4-7 outside 
experts, chosen for their achievements in the fields of art, sculpture, 
minting, and cultural management, along with 2-3 representatives of 
NEH. Judges will be fair and impartial. A judge may not have a familial 
or financial relationship with an individual who is a registered 
contestant in the competition. Judges will fully comply with all 
applicable government ethics requirements for Federal employees.
    Judges will use the following criteria to judge the submitted 
designs:
    1. Design relates to the humanities. The subjects and ideas of the 
humanities--literature, history, philosophy--need to be conveyed in the 
design of the medal. This may be done through a realistic or abstract 
design.
    2. Design will translate into a three-dimensional medal. 
Ultimately, the design needs to be translated into a three-dimensional 
medal. A winning design, which may be two-dimensional, will have to be 
adapted by an artisan in order to create a sculpture for the medal. Can 
this design become a successful bas-relief medal?
    3. Design can be replicated. Between 10 and 12 medals need to be 
struck each year to present to National Humanities Medalists. Can this 
design be replicated successfully, without excessive cost, for many 
years to come?
    4. Beauty of design. Is the design graceful, elegant, and to be 
cherished by its recipient? Is it worthy of a Presidential medal?
    The judging panel will judge the submissions to advise the Chairman 
of NEH, who will choose the final winning design. All judging will take 
place between approximately February 15, 2013, and approximately April 
10, 2013. NEH will announce the winner on or about April 15, 2013. For 
questions or further information, please see the contact information 
listed above.

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 3719.

    Dated: September 26, 2012.
Carole M. Watson,
Deputy Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2012-24111 Filed 9-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7536-01-P
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