The Kentucky Arts Council is currently accepting nominations until March 1, 2010, for the 2010 Governor’s Awards in the Arts. Gov. Steve Beshear will present the 2010 awards at a special public ceremony and reception in the Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort in October 2010.

The awards are the state’s highest honor in the arts, recognizing individuals and organizations with extraordinary achievement in the arts or making outstanding contributions in Kentucky through the arts. Any individual, organization or business may make nominations.

The nine award categories (Artist, Business, Community Arts, Education, Folk Heritage, Government, Media, Milner and National) recognize the broad range of support the arts enjoy in Kentucky.

To be eligible to receive a Governor’s Award in the Arts, a candidate must be a Kentucky resident or a Kentucky organization, business, media outlet, school or government agency. The National Award and the Government Award allow for exception to Kentucky residency. The National Award is bestowed upon a Kentucky native son or daughter who has achieved national or international acclaim in the arts. A Kentucky native son or daughter, an individual Kentucky resident or an agency located in Kentucky advancing the arts through government action is eligible to receive the Government Award.

“The Governor’s Awards in the Arts bring attention to the positive work that many individuals, organizations and institutions do for Kentucky through the arts,” says Lori Meadows, executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council. “We encourage nominations from all parts of Kentucky. We value the diversity of people and the broad range of art forms found in our Commonwealth.”

To nominate, go to www.artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog1/ga_gdl.html. For more information about the Governor’s Awards in the Arts program, contact Dan Strauss at dan.strauss@ky.gov or 502-564-3757, ext. 474.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.