The Grawemeyer Foundation, housed at the University of Louisville, has added psychology to its distinguished list of awards categories. The first University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology was given in 2001. This award is given annually.

The $200,000 Grawemeyer award recognizes outstanding ideas in all areas of the discipline of Psychology. Nominations are judged on the basis of originality, creativity, scientific merit, and breadth of impact on the field of Psychology.

Charles Grawemeyer, an industrialist, engineer and entrepreneur from Louisville, Ky., had a life-long passion for music, education and religious studies. Consequently, he chose to honor ideas in the arts, humanities and sciences. Rather than rewarding recent or lifetime personal achievements, Grawemeyer wanted to recognize single powerful ideas or creative works.

Professor Woody Petry directs the Psychology Grawemeyer Committee that conducts the nomination and awards process. Other committee members include Professors Keith Lyle, Tamara Newton and Pavel Zahorik from the University of Louisville Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.