Department Awards

The McCown Prize

The McCown Prize is awarded to the graduating senior judged to be the most outstanding Anthropology student in the class--someone that is BOTH an amazing student, and who has been actively engaged in the Anthropology community and ideally the community at large. Evidence of distinction in work done outside the Department may be taken into account, but McCown is primarily to reward for excellence in the work of the department. A minimum 3.6 GPA in their major course work, and a minimum overall UC GPA of 3.5 is required. Submit two letters of recommendation from faculty, two papers written for upper-division Anthropology courses, a resume/CV, and an essay of no more than 1 page.

2020 Award Winners 

2021 Award Winners


The Kroeber Prize

The Kroeber Prize is awarded annually for the outstanding Anthropology Senior Honors Thesis. Applicants submit the thesis by the advertised deadline for review by the selection committee. No late submissions can be accepted.

2020 Award Winners

2021 Award Winners


The Nissen Family Award 

The Nissen Family Award honors an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student of Native American ancestry of a California or Nevada tribe. To apply, please write a brief email identifying your affiliation and how yourcompletion of the anthropology major has contributed to your personal goals. Attach a copy of a current resume or CV and unofficial transcript.


The Sam Dubal Fellowship Award

This Fellowship honors the legacy of Sam Dubal, M.D., Ph.D., an anthropologist, activist, medical doctor, professor, a beloved contributor to many vibrant intellectual communities, and an alumnus of our Department. Sam courageously centered the struggle against structural violence--including the everyday violences of colonialism and racism--in his thinking and in his scholarly research and writing. Recipients of the Sam Dubal Fellowship are scholars who are recognized to embody some of Sam’s attributes: including his prodigious discipline and work ethic, his caring membership in academic and activist communities, and his commitment to getting the empirical facts right, as well to their meaningful and comparative analysis. This fellowship, established just this last year, was made possible through a generous donation from the Dubal family. 

2022 Award Winner 


The Thomas Joyce and Joanne Poth Joyce Award 

The Thomas Joyce and Joanne Poth Joyce Award recognizes the achievements of an undergraduate or graduate student who conducts work in civic engagement, including community-engaged scholarship and advocacy on behalf of communities, that the Department of Anthropology recognizes as representing the values of the discipline. To apply, please submit a brief email describing the form your community engagement has taken during your Berkeley years. Attach a copy of a current resume or CV and unofficial transcript.

 2020 Award Winner

2021 Award Winners