The Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) has established the Edward Blakely Award. Edward Blakely was present for the announcement of the award’s establishment on October 13, 2011, at the annual meeting of ACSP held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Melvin H. King, Boston activist and educator, received the first award, presented November 2, 2012. The Honorable Mention for 2012 was Veronica Soto, planning practitioner.

Nominations will be sought in early 2014 for that year's award. A nominator should submit a nominator’s letter, which addresses the criteria listed below, and two additional letters of support from persons who are not employed by the same organization or resident in the same academic institution as the nominee. Include full contact information for the nominee and a resume if available. In the spirit of Blakely’s service, nominees may come from either practitioner or academic backgrounds, need not be associated with ACSP or POCIG, and may be resident in any country of the world (the award is not monetary but some travel funds for the awardee are available).

The criteria:

• Dedication to the cause of social justice, particularly for communities of color;
• Creative or path-breaking approaches to pursuing such ends;
• Outstanding service/ accomplishment in planning or development.

More information about POCIG is available at its web page: http://www.acsp.org/resources/interest-groups/pocig and more information about ACSP is available at http://www.acsp.org.