Established in 1999 - 2000 by the College's Board of Trustees, the annual awards recognize and reward two members of the Kenyon faculty for exemplary teaching informed by creative scholarship.

The Senior Award is awarded to a tenured level faculty member who has been teaching at Kenyon for at least ten years. The Junior Award is for either a tenured or tenure track faculty member who is in his or her first ten years at Kenyon. The awards, which carry $5,000 stipends, are intended to promote excellence by providing increased visibility for the College's most talented teacher-scholars.