Works eligible for these awards also will be eligible for awards in their respective category. Winners will be announced during the awards reception.

Trail of Tears Award – $1,200
This award is given to one entry showing the best direct interpretable relationship to the Trail of Tears or Forced Removal theme. 

Bill Rabbit Legacy Award – $300
This award is for original works in any medium or category, and it honors the work of Cherokee National Treasure Bill Rabbit. This award is sponsored by Rabbit Studios in honor of Bill Rabbit’s artistic achievements and legacy. He was a self-taught artist and U.S. veteran whose work is prized throughout the nation.

Betty Scraper-Garner Elder Award – $200
This award is for original works in any medium or category by an artist 55 years of age or older. Betty Scraper-Garner, a 1993 Cherokee National Treasure in Basketry, taught three generations of weavers in her family. Her daughter, Cherokee National Treasure Vivian Cottrell, and grandchildren honor her legacy through this award.

Jennie Ross Cobb Photography Award – $200
This award is given for the most outstanding photograph. Given in honor of former Park Hill, OK resident Jennie Ross Cobb, the first female Native American photographer. Works eligible for this award also will be eligible for awards in their respective category. This award is sponsored by First American Art Magazine.

Emerging Artist Awards – 1st $600, 2nd $400, 3rd $200
Three awards are given for original works in any medium or category from artists who have shown work in less than three previous Trail of Tears art shows. Eligible artists cannot have won any previous Trail of Tears awards.

People’s Choice Award – $100
Each person viewing the Trail of Tears Art Show in person will receive a ballot to vote for his or her favorite artwork. There will also be virtual voting through our Facebook page. The votes will be tallied and the winners of each announced after the close of the show.