Established in memory of the Skirball’s founding chairman, Howard I. Friedman, the annual Friedman Prize invites graduate students from across the U.S. and beyond to submit essays offering perspectives on American Jewish experiences.

To coincide with Jewish American Heritage Month, this year’s essay topic asks entrants to reflect upon U.S. popular culture, with particular attention to graphic novels, superheroes, comic books, or cartoons as they relate to Jewish values and American Jewish experience.

Graduate students at universities and seminaries with a terminal MA or PhD awarded no earlier than 2021 are eligible. The author of the winning essay will be awarded $5,000, and their submission will be published in conjunction with the Skirball’s annual Oasis magazine. The winner will also be invited to participate in a future public program at the Skirball. 

Submissions should exhibit the highest standards of clarity, originality, engagement with recent scholarship, and accessibility to a broad reading audience. Essays should not be published at the time of submission. All submissions should include an abstract of 100–200 words and a bibliography. A lower limit of 3,000 words (including abstract) is optimal, and submissions of more than 4,000 words (including footnotes) will not be considered. 

Please submit your essay and CV in PDF format to mzellner@skirball.org by February 28, 2025, with the subject line “The Friedman Prize.” Make sure your essay title and word count are listed on your CV. In the interest of anonymity, please do not place your first name, last name, or school name on any pages of your essay. The winning essay will be announced in spring 2025.

2023-24 | Alona Bach

2022–23 | Erin Faigin 

2021–22 | Max Modiano Daniel