Inspire. Inform. Elevate.
Understanding Everett Holle’s vision for the Awards
Holle’s vision for the Awards was to bridge communication and the arts, and to recognize noteworthy contributions across various fields. Throughout his time in the industry, he was always interested in investing in the lives of young people.
His passion for the next generation of communicators and for creativity in the fields of media and communication fueled his desire to see students rewarded for their excellence. In 2015, he founded the Holle Awards for Excellence in Creativity and Communication. That year, awards were given to students at The University of Alabama for Media Writing and Screenwriting. The following year, Holle Awards were created for Book Arts, Filmmaking, and Public Speaking. Over the next several years, the number of awards grew from 5 to 7, with Forensic Excellence added in 2021, and Sports Media (now Sports Writing) awarded for the first time in 2023. The Holle Awards cover a range of journalistic, artistic, and communication-related genres to honor Brigadier General Holle’s aim to celebrate student creativity and success, help students embark on their careers, and reward deserving students for their work.
Everett intended for the Holle Awards to evolve from a university-wide award at his alma mater to a nationwide award available to students across the country. As an aspirational, national award with a $10,000 cash prize, he envisioned the Holle Awards as the preeminent prize for exceptional student achievement in creative expression. He wanted the award to honor work that exemplified innovation, impact, and excellence across all communication and information disciplines. He was insistent about rewarding creative brilliance, scholarly and artistic success, and recognizing work that pushed boundaries and explored new creative frontiers.
He wanted the awards to honor work that demonstrated originality, skill, and influence. His vision was for these awards to highlight emerging voices and transformative storytelling, and he wanted award-winning work to inspire, inform, and elevate public discourse.
All application submissions should align with the mission of the award and the vision of Everett Holle, by meeting the following criteria:
- demonstrate exceptional achievement in creative expression
- exemplify innovation and impact
- represent emerging voices and transformative storytelling
- inspire, inform, and elevate public discourse
- reflect a commitment to creative excellence
- indicate originality, skill, and influence in the discipline
- encourage experimentation and imagination
- push boundaries and explore new creative frontiers
- reflect academic prestige through scholarly and artistic achievement
