Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters

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The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters (MIAL) is a privately funded foundation that was created in order to recognize the greatest accomplishments in art, music, and literature among Mississippians. The idea was conceived by, among others, former Mississippi Governor William Winter, Dr. Cora Norman, Dr. Aubrey Lucas, and Dr. Noel Polk in 1978, and the first awards were given out in 1980. The winners are chosen by a jury of prominent academics in each of the seven fields (Fiction, Non-fiction, Visual Art, Concert Musical Composition, Popular Musical Composition, Photography, and Poetry) that the awards are presented to. The ceremony is held in a different city each year. Well-known past winners have included Walker Percy, Eudora Welty, Larry Brown, Donna Tartt, Clifton Taulbert, Barry Hannah, Willie Morris, Leontyne Price, Stephen Ambrose, Steve Yarbrough and Shelby Foote.

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