Nominations Now Open For The 2027 Jordan Schnitzer Prize Of The West (Photo) - 09/29/26
$50,000 Cash Prize Awarded to Dedicated Solution-Makers in the American West
BEND, Ore. — The High Desert Museum is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Jordan Schnitzer Prize of the West (the Prize), an award that celebrates and honors uncommon collaboration and innovation in solving the legacy challenges of the American West. Launched in partnership with Jordan D. Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, nominations will be accepted on the High Desert Museum’s website through Dec. 31, 2026. For more information on the Jordan Schnitzer Prize of the West, nomination eligibility, and selection process, visit highdesertmuseum.org/schnitzer-prize.
In a moment when the American West is confronting unprecedented ecological challenges, the Prize seeks to highlight innovative responses to urgent issues such as water scarcity, wildfire, tribal sovereignty, land stewardship, ecosystem change, best ranching practices and more—offering models that can be replicated in other areas of the country facing similar pressures.
“The Prize celebrates and honors those leaders who are working collaboratively on these complex issues to demonstrate how to work toward the common good,” said Jordan D. Schnitzer, president of Schnitzer Properties and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation. “Inspired by these leaders’ determination, we will continue to award and recognize their tireless work to create solutions that benefit everyone while preserving and enhancing the remarkable Western United States.”
Now in its second year, the $50,000 prize is awarded annually to an individual or a small group of individuals whose work addresses the environmental and conservation challenges of the American West, with a particular focus on innovation, impact, and collaboration. In addition to the $50,000 cash prize, the winner will receive a piece of original artwork during an award ceremony in Portland, Oregon.
Brad Parry, vice chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, was awarded the inaugural prize for his leadership and collaborative work in transforming the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre in Preston, Idaho, into a place of ecological and cultural healing. As the leader of the Wuda Ogwa Cultural and Land Restoration Project, Parry is recognized for having built one of the most collaborative models of watershed restoration in the American West while successfully restoring the land to its natural state.
An esteemed panel of 13 advisors with deep backgrounds in tribal leadership, ranching and farming, water policy and river restoration, and prominent academic centers focused on the American West selected Parry's nomination.
The Prize advisers also recognized four esteemed finalists in 2026:
- Amy Bowers Cordalis
- Kelley Delpit
- Julie Rentner
- Laura Van Riper
Applications and nominations for the Prize will be evaluated by an esteemed panel of advisers composed of former tribal leaders, ranchers and farmers, water policy and river restoration practitioners, a poet laureate and renowned historian, directors of prominent academic centers that focus on the study of the American West, and more.
“The Jordan Schnitzer Prize of the West is an exceedingly timely and relevant effort to shine a light on the innovators, collaborators and visionaries among us,” said Dana Whitelaw, executive director of the High Desert Museum. “Their work demonstrates that we can look toward our future together even as we consider the economic and ecological challenges before us.”
Since 1982, the High Desert Museum has been dedicated to sharing the stories of the American West through wildlife, art, cultures, history, and interdisciplinary experiences, creating a shared connection and dialogue among its community.
ABOUT JORDAN D. SCHNITZER AND THE HAROLD & ARLENE SCHNITZER CARE FOUNDATION
Jordan Schnitzer has a vibrant legacy supporting the High Desert Museum. He is the visionary and sponsor of the Schnitzer Prize of the West. Through the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, Schnitzer carries on the legacy of his late parents and their belief that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the CARE Foundation and its leaders have given over $300 million to fund hundreds of nonprofit projects that touch lives and enrich communities.
Schnitzer is also a prominent West Coast businessman. He is President and CEO of Schnitzer Properties, one of the West Coast’s Top 10 private real estate owners with offices in six Western states. Schnitzer is also an ARTnews Top 200 Art Collector globally and shares his vast contemporary art collections at no charge to museums and institutions and supports accompanying programming, educational opportunities and publications.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
The HIGH DESERT MUSEUM opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America’s High Desert. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2025 recipient of the Autry Public History Prize from the Western History Association and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
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