Annual Awards

We give awards every year to those who do something extraordinary during the year for the sake of history. We have been giving awards since 1984 and so far, we have presented around 250 awards for preserving and restoring buildings, organizing and cleaning up cemeteries, writing history books and articles about Sonoma County, annual History Day students, and presenting history projects and events. Let’s take this opportunity to recognize other great accomplishments!

The awards program of the Sonoma County Historical Society recognizes outstanding accomplishments of individuals and organizations that serve the interests of Sonoma County history. The awards are open to members and non-members of the Society. Nominations for recipients must be approved by a majority of the current Board of Directors of the Society. Awards may or may not be given in all categories, and multiple awards may be given in any category in any particular year.

Nominations must be submitted at least three months before the annual meeting at which they are to be awarded. That date is currently November 30th for the annual meeting in March.

Brainerd Jones Preservation Award
Completed acts of restoration or preservation
Historic buildings, landmarks, trails, monuments, documents, vehicles, costumes, art, bridges, etc.
Financial or material contribution advancing or enhancing historical restorations and preservation activities.

Gaye Lebaron Scholastic Award
Recognition to an individual or group for a significant historical project or research which has led to publication of a book, magazine article, newspaper column, or pamphlet.

Jean Thurlow Miller Award
Recognition for significant activities and accomplishments by an individual.
Significant service on behalf of organized historic groups, museums, clubs, or historic projects.
Significant financial or material contributions to historic groups or projects

Mariano Vallejo Government Award
Recognition to a municipal, county, state or federal agency or individual for significant historical activities and accomplishments.
Legislative initiatives protecting historic cultural resources.
Financial incentives or contributions to historic projects

Floyd Bailey Academic Award
Recognition to a student or teacher for a significant achievement which has expanded knowledge of Sonoma County’s history.

Carmen J. Finley Historical Website Award
Recognition for creating an outstanding website for a historic organization.

Jack Taylor Media Award
Recognition for audio visual programing including movies and interviews.