Silver Gavel Award

{{Short description|Award given by the American Bar Association}} {{Infobox award | name = Silver Gavel Award | subheader = | current_awards = | image = | imagesize = | alt = | caption = | awarded_for = Honors outstanding work by those who help improve comprehension of jurisprudence in the United States | sponsor =American Bar Association | date = 1958 | location = | country = United States | presenter = | website = {{official website|https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/programs/silver_gavel/}} }}

The '''Silver Gavel Award''' (also known as the '''ABA Silver Gavel Awards for Media and The Arts''') is an annual award the American Bar Association gives to honor outstanding work by those who help to improve comprehension of jurisprudence in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Times Receives Award From Bar Association|date=July 13, 1985|page=18|author=Times staff|location=Los Angeles, California}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Herald wins ABA for stories on Dade juries|date=June 9, 1985|page=6A FRONT|work=The Miami Herald|location=Miami, Florida}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Monthly |first=Texas |date=2023-05-31 |title=American Bar Association Honors Texas Monthly With Silver Gavel Award |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/press-room/american-bar-association-honors-texas-monthly-with-silver-gavel-award/ |access-date=2025-02-21 |website=Texas Monthly |language=en}}</ref>

==Award== The award is the American Bar Association's highest form of recognition.<ref>{{cite news|title=KCNC-CHANNEL 4 wins award|date=September 3, 1991|work=The Rocky Mountain News|first=Bill|last=Lechman|location=Colorado}}</ref> The American Bar Association gives the award during its annual meeting,<ref name="npr1998">{{cite news |date=June 25, 1998 |title=NPR Series Judicial Vacancy Crisis Wins American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award |url=https://www.npr.org/about/press/980625.judicialvacancy.html |accessdate=March 2, 2013 |work=National Public Radio |publisher=www.npr.org}}</ref><ref name="npr1997">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/about/press/970624.gavel.html|title=NPR Documentary Murder, Punishment and Parole In Alabama Wins American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award |work=National Public Radio|date=June 24, 1997|accessdate=March 2, 2013}}</ref> bestowing one award in each of nine categories: books, commentary, documentaries, drama & literatures, magazines, multimedia, newspapers, radio/podcast, and television.<ref>{{cite news|title=National award to Journal Star - American Bar Association honor is for eight-part 'Presumed Guilty' series.|date=April 29, 2010|author=Lincoln Journal Star staff|work=Lincoln Journal Star|location=Nebraska|page=B2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2024 |title=ABA names PARDON ME Documentary 2024 finalist for Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts |url=https://www.yorkbar.com/news/668150/ABA-names-PARDON-ME-Documentary-2024-finalist-for-Silver-Gavel-Awards-for-Media-and-the-Arts.htm |access-date=17 March 2025 |website=yorkbar.com}}</ref>

Silver Gavels are awarded to each winner and decisions on award recipients are announced by the chairman of the American Bar Association's standing committee on Gavel Awards.<ref>{{cite news|title=Harrison wins Silver Gavel Award|work=Lakeland Ledger|date=July 11, 1977|page=1B|location=Lakeland, Florida}}</ref> In a comment in the ''ABA Journal'', American Bar Association Division for Public Education representative Howard Kaplan noted, "From the very beginning, the Association has recognized that legal drama has an unmatched capacity to humanize legal actors and, well, dramatize legal issues for public audiences."<ref name="aba50th" />

==Past Recipients== The film directed by Sidney Lumet, ''12 Angry Men'', received the award in 1958.<ref name="aba50th">{{cite news|title=Legal Education: 50th Year of ABA Silver Gavel Awards|date=July 27, 2007|first=Martha|last=Neil|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/50th_year_of_aba_silver_gavel_awards/|accessdate=March 3, 2013|work=ABA Journal|publisher=American Bar Association}}</ref> Stanley Kramer's movie ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' received the award in 1962, and ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' directed by Robert Mulligan was recognized with the award in 1963.<ref name="aba50th" /> In 1985, 391 candidates were entered in consideration to receive a Silver Gavel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Series on child support wins bar award for call fyi|date=June 16, 1985|author=Sunday Call-Chronicle staff|work=The Morning Call|location=Allentown, Pennsylvania|page=B09|publisher= The Morning Call, Inc.}}</ref> In addition to 15 honorees recognized with Silver Gavel Awards in 1987, the American Bar Association also handed out 20 Certificates of Merit.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bar Association honors Herald for coverage of imprisoned man|date=July 14, 1987|author=Herald staff|work=The Miami Herald|location=Miami, Florida|page=3A}}</ref> In 1988, 298 organizations submitted 500 candidates for consideration for the Silver Gavel.<ref>{{cite news|title=Post's Constitution series wins award from ABA|date=July 10, 1988|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|location=St. Louis, Missouri|page=2D}}</ref> A total of 12 awards were given out in 1996, in categories including literary works, pieces written in periodicals, journalism, plays, and writing for the screen.<ref>{{cite news|title=American Bar Association honors News with Silver Gavel Award|date=August 29, 1996|work=The Dallas Morning News|location=Dallas, Texas}}</ref> The 51st Silver Gavel Awards were announced by American Bar Association president William H. Neukom in Washington, D.C. at the National Press Club and included honorees ''The Denver Post'', ''The Dallas Morning News'', and Jeffrey Toobin for his book ''The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court''.<ref name="aba51st">{{cite news|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/denver_post_sweeps_newspaper_category_in_51st_annual_silver_gavel_awards/|first=Martha|last=Neil|work=ABA Journal|publisher=American Bar Association|title=ABA: Denver Post Sweeps Newspaper Category in 51st Annual Silver Gavel Awards|date=May 19, 2008|accessdate=March 3, 2013}}</ref> In 1962 Emilie Tavel was the first woman to receive the award.<ref>{{cite web|title=American Bar Association Gavel Award Winners|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/public_education/silver-gavel/sg-1960s.pdf|publisher=American Bar Association|accessdate=May 22, 2026}}</ref>

==Reception== ''The News & Observer'' noted, "The ... Silver Gavel Awards are considered the premier honors for law-related publications and productions."<ref>{{cite news|work=The News & Observer|location=Raleigh, North Carolina|title=N&O series on juvenile justice wins prize|date=July 9, 1994|page=B6|publisher=The News & Observer Pub. Co.}}</ref> The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' characterized the honor as the "top media award" of the American Bar Association.<ref>{{cite news|title=Power of the 'List' TV screen doesn't detract from impact of 'Schindler's List'|date=August 19, 1994|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|first=Barbara|last=Vancheri|page=28|location=Pennsylvania}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== *{{official website|https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/programs/silver_gavel/}}

Category:Legal awards Category:American literary awards Category:Jurisprudence Category:American Bar Association Category:Awards established in 1958 Category:1958 establishments in the United States