Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media

In its inaugural year in 2010, the Erikson Institute Prize is awarded to three writers, reporters, or editors who have made major contributions to public understanding of mental health issues. The intent is to reward and encourage sophisticated, accessible work on mental illness and recovery, and to stimulate conversation about how to dispel stigma and promote well-being.

In league with these efforts, the Erikson Institute will sponsor a colloquy on May 1, 2010, featuring presentations from the three winners. The nominating committee includes the essayist and author Joshua Wolf Shenk; Kai Erikson, Ph.D., the prominent Yale sociologist and professor emeritus at Yale University; and Austen Riggs Center Medical Director/CEO Edward R. Shapiro, M.D., and M. Gerard Fromm, Ph.D., Evelyn Stefansson Nef director of the Erikson Institute. Riggs will announce the winners by January 1, 2010.