National Treasures Nomination Application

2026 Oneida National Treasure Nomination Application

Nominations open now till August 6th submit by 4:30pm. Use this online form to nominate.
What is the National Treasure Award?

This title will be bestowed on individuals or groups in recognition of their work in preserving, protecting, and promoting our arts, language, and culture. Winners will receive a cash prize with the opportunity to have artwork purchased by Oneida Nation.

Eligbility Critera for Nomination:
- Individual or group/organization must be a member(s) of the Oneida Nation present or in memorial.
- Individual or group/organization whos work is in visual, literary multimedia, performing arts, craftsmen, designers or culture bearers who:
  - Achieved notable and or recognizable excellence in their field.
  - Made transformative contribution in their field and to the Oneida community
  - Made an imaginative and or immense contribution to the arts, language, or culture through volunteer, service, or advocacy
  - emanate expression of joy of Oneida way of life
- An entity may be a subgroup of the Oneida Nation or a seperate community group
Helpful Definitions:

What is a nominee -- This is the individual or group that meets the criteria listed above.

What is a group -- This is any organization, non-profit, or team that meets the criteria listed above.

What is an artist -- The term "artist" can be loosely interpreted and explained your applications. For the National Treasure nominations, the community review committee will use the term "artist" as a person who intentionally shapes experience, meaning, or emotion into a form that can be perceived by others. It's important to know that "artist" includes those doing or have done language & other traditional culture work. The type of culture work shall be clearly explained or defined by the applicant and nominee through their application.

Getting Started & what to expect:

Both the applicant and nominee should anticipate being available for a phone or in-person interview if our judging process calls for it. Nominees must also agree to participate in a formal video interview and an educational presentation of their artwork if requested by Oneida Nation National Treasure Committee & staff.

If the winner is deceased, the cash award will instead be allocated to the following National Treasure season, allowing us to honor another deserving individual the following year.

Applicant & nominee may need to work together to gather and produce the required following documents, and shall do so prior to completing this on-line form. Preparing the following in advance will allow for an easier upload and submission of nomination application.

*If you are nominating a group, you may need to work with one of the board members, captain of a team, manager, or select a lead of the group/organization, to prepare the necessary documents for this nomination.

Required Portfolio Information:

Prepare the following to upload within this application when you are ready to submit your nomination.

1. A typed biography showcasing the history of the nominee. (Minimum 1 page, maximum 2 page document) Elaborate on the following:
1. Number of years in field of nominated work, or years since group was founded.
2. List of workshops, classes, events, or programming that the nominee contributed to.
3. Galleries, art shows, institutions where artwork or they themselves have represented their knowledge and abilities, if applicable.
4. Awards and other recognitions received through out the years.
2. Applicant's typed letter of support, stating why you believe this nominee should be recognized as an Oneida Nation National Treasure, maximum 1 page.

3. Two written/typed letters of support from other individuals that have worked alongside with the nominee in some capacity.
1. the two letters letter must be 1 page each typed or legibly handwritten and uploaded as a pdf.
2. Each letter can be a maximum of 1 page in length
3. Letters must provide the full name of person submitting, their email and phone number, along with their signature and date.
4. Provide 5 high quality images/photos of the artist's work, if nominating a group or organization, include marketing flyers or photos of events, etc.

Submission Process:

1. Online through this jotform

OR

2. Hand Deliver to Oneida Nation Arts Program: 1270 Packerland Dr. Green Bay, WI 54304. *Be sure to print the Jotform, fill in then include with the requested & required portfolio attachments.

National Treasure Application Timeline: Nominations for the 2026 National Treasure Awards are now being accepted between till August 6, 2026. 4:30pm.

Judging: Review & judging of applications will be conducted by a selection committee of volunteer community members. This is anticipated to take place August 7 - August 28, 2026.

Winners (Applicants) Notified: Monday August 31, 2026 via email by end of business day. Please do not call or inquire about your judging status before August 31st, 4:30pm.

National Treasures Award Banquet: Thursday evening, October 22, 2026. Please mark your calendars tentative times are 4pm-8pm

NOTE: Completing this form and submitting an application does not confirm an award. The nominees will be reviewed & judged by a volunteer selection committee.

The applicant (nominator) will be the point of contact when judging is complete, and it is the applicants responsibility to communicate the nomination results. Be sure to look for an email from artsprogram@oneidanation.org near August 31, 2026. Mark your calendars.

Yawʌˀkó∙ and GOOD LUCK!
Applicant's Date of Birth (Must be at least 18 years of age)

MonthDayYear
Date
Applicant (Person Submitting Nomination)

First NameLast Name
Applicant's Primary Phone Number
Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.
Applicant's Email
example@example.com
Confirm Applicant's Email
example@example.com
Applicant's Tribal Affiliation (if you are non-Native, type 'none.')
If nominating a group, list the main contact person below and the formal group or organization name here:
Nominee Name:

First NameLast Name
List all Tribal affiliations of nominee
Nominee Date of Birth *OR the estimate month-day-year the group or organization began their endeavors

MonthDayYear
Date
Check below if nominee is deceased:
If the nominee is deceased, please either enter your pesonal information or a family representative, as the applicant, to allow the form to be submitted without errors. Any questions reach out to artsprogram@oneidanation.org for APPLICATION assistance.
Nominee Full Mailing Address:

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code
Nominee Phone Number:
Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.
Nominee Email:
example@example.com
Confirm Nominee Email:
example@example.com
Biography: Typed 1 to 2 pages of history of individual or group, upload a saved word doc.

Cancelof
Applicant's reason for nomination: 1 page maximum in length, upload a saved word doc.

Cancelof
1st additional letter of support: Upload a saved word doc.

Cancelof
2nd letter of support: Upload a saved word doc.

Cancelof
Images of work samples *Organizations include marketing flyers: 5 quality images.

Cancelof
Professional Personal Portrait: *Upload your most formal or professional profile picture of the artist/culture and language bearer/group.

Cancelof
Once all items are uploaded click CONTINUE to move to the last page of this application, that simply requires your signature. A receipt of your submission will be sent from jotform, please check your junk-mail if you do not receive it shortly after your submission.

Yaw^ko for taking time to nominate!

2026 Oneida National Treasure Nomination Application

Once all items are uploaded click CONTINUE to move to the last page of this application, that simply requires your signature. A receipt of your submission will be sent from jotform, please check your junk-mail if you do not receive it shortly after your submission.