On December 5, 2024, the Russell Kirk Center will host the inaugural Richard D. McLellan Prizes Award Gala in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the historic Amway Grand Hotel.

The event, hosted by a distinguished prizes Jury, will honor the grand prize recipient of the 2024 McLellan Prize as well as two academic award winners. A total of $75,000 in prizes will be awarded.

The Richard D. McLellan Prizes is a unique educational program administered by the Russell Kirk Center. Its aim is to help reshape the national conversation on issues surrounding the durability and prospects for the American tradition of free speech and expression as guaranteed in the U. S. Constitution’s First Amendment.

The McLellan Prizes draw attention to the central importance of the free speech tradition, particularly recognizing those doing the most important and exciting work in that area. These Prizes seek to support talented thinkers, creators, and communicators capable of rearticulating the perennial importance of the First Amendment, and transmitting a better understanding of the freedoms it secures for all.