Each year the Italian Cultural Society provides the following awards made possible through donations and fund raising events:

• • The Cesarina Horing Awards to students of Italian at universities in the Washington, DC area: One student from each of Georgetown University, The University of Maryland, and Catholic University, all of which have Italian Major programs, will be eligible for awards of $500; and one student from each of George Washington, American, and George Mason Universities, each of which have an Italian Minor program will be eligible for an award of $300.  The awardees are selected by the Departments of Italian at these universities. The awards are funded by donations in honor of former ILP director, Cesarina Horing.

In addition, the ICS sponsors an annual competition for the following awards for younger students:

• The Maria Guarrera Wilmeth Awards:
  two awards of $500 each for outstanding Washington metropolitan area high-school students of a public school in which the Italian language is part of the curriculum. To apply: Applicants must write a letter by hand, which includes a short biographical presentation and saying why they are studying Italian; a letter of recommendation, a creative video of 2 to 3 minutes, in which the student (or a group of 2, or 3 students maximum – who will share the award) speak in Italian: acting, talking about themselves, cooking, or doing/presenting a subject of their choice, as long as they speak in Italian. The winners will be expected to make remarks in Italian accepting the award at the May Gala at the Embassy.
• Scholarship for children to take a free ILP course:   Students of elementary or middle schoolinterested in taking one of our courses are eligible for a scholarship. The scholarship can be used to enroll in any suitable course of the ICS Italian Language Program. To apply:  Applicants must send a handwritten letter saying which course they would like to take and why. A letter of support from a parent willing to bring the student for classes and a letter from the child’s classroom teacher attesting to the student’s academic ability must also be provided. (Please click here to see the schedule of classes for the choices available.)

Other Awards for students who have not reached their 31st birthday by May 1 (except for the Young Scientist award):

1. The Elena and Antonio De Luca Award:
   one $1000 award to be given to a university student who has excelled in the study of Latin and/or Greek.
2. The Luciana Montanari-Mendola Awards:
   one $1000 award for a university or conservatory student showing promise in piano performance, and one $500 award for a high-school age pianist showing promise in piano performance. Examples of recordings must accompany your application and must include one piece for solo piano by Frederick Chopin.
3. The Anna Menapace Award:
   one $500 award to be given to a high-school student who has excelled in the art of painting.
4. The Patricia Segnan Award:
   one $1000 award to be given to a university student who has excelled in the creation of Art or the study of Art and Art History.
5. The Young Scientist Award:
   The Italian Cultural Society is pleased to announce again for this year a modification of its Young Scientist award in order to recognize the accomplishments of Italian scientists working in the Washington area.
   A $1,000 award is to be given to an Italian national working in the Washington area as a doctoral student or as a post-doctoral student or equivalent (e.g., in connection with NIH, NIST or with NASA or a university) in the physical, biological or medical sciences, mathematics, or engineering. The applicant must give evidence of having distinguished him/herself in research while working in the United States. Applicants should not have reached their 36th birthday by May 1, 2018. The deadline date for the application, Monday April 23rd, 2018.

Materials to be included in the application for the Young Scientist Award are:

• • A document verifying the Italian (or American) university degree held by the applicant
  • A cover letter in English or Italian describing why the candidate is a valid contender for the award
  • A short biographical presentation of the candidate (curriculum vitae)
  • Three letters of recommendation from superiors knowledgeable with the work of the applicant, at least one from an American.
  • Evidence of excellence of work in the U.S., e.g., list of publications, patents, or other equivalent documents.

Materials to be included in the application for 1.-4. Awards are:

• • • College transcripts or, for high school awards, high-school transcripts
    • Three letters of recommendation
    •  An essay in Italian written by the applicant describing why the applicant is a valid contender for the award.
    •  A short biographical presentation of the candidate (curriculum vitae)
    • Anything that would demonstrate the ability of the candidate, including publications by and/or about the candidate, photographs, CDs, a portfolio of works, etc.

ICS Award Applications deadline: Post-marked by Monday, April 23rd, 2018.

Send to:

Awards Committee
The Italian Cultural Society
4833 Rugby Ave., Suite #201
Bethesda, MD 20814

Selection will occur during April and awards will be presented at the ICS  Awards Gala, which takes place on May 23rd, at the Embassy of Italy, as will be advertised in our newsletter Poche Parole and website. Attendance at the Awards Gala is required for all award winners except Horings and awards will be reassigned if the winner is unable to attend, except for exceptional circumstances as determined by the Awards Committee. The winners of the Luciana Montanari-Mendola award may be asked to perform at the Awards Gala.

for more information go to the Italian Cultural Society Website