Known as the Nobel Prize of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Award was established by Edward Bok in 1921 to honor those who made the community of Philadelphia prosperous through their service. The Philadelphia Award is bestowed upon one person each year for contributions in a variety of areas including the sciences, arts, and business. The materials in this collection profile the recipients of the Philadelphia Award and the ceremonies that were staged each year. Programs, newspaper clippings, audio-visual material, and correspondence offer a glimpse into both the planning of the event, the nomination process, and the profiles of the people that received this prestigious award. The Philadelphia Award Records span from 1894 to 2005 with few gaps, which occur mainly in the 1990s. The materials have been divided into five series: Board and financial; Recipients and nominees; Awards Ceremony; Miscellaneous; and Audio-Visual. This collection is rich in information concerning prominent figures in twentieth-century Philadelphia, especially in the arts, local politics, and non-profits. Newspaper articles are also well represented in this collection, and relate to the initial announcement of Edward Bok's establishment of the award, recipients, nominees, and the staging of the ceremony. The researcher should note that the award ceremony occurs the year after a person has been named a recipient of the Philadelphia Award (e.g., Louis Kahn was the 1970 recipient of the Philadelphia Award, but the ceremony took place in 1971). There is a very small group of materials in this collection that have been produced by Bok family members. The most significant materials produced by the Bok family are the letters of Edward Bok's son Curtis and Curtis's wife, Nellie Lee (Series 1).
