Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns


The Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to promoting science, technology and the arts in Afrikaans, as well as promoting the use and quality of Afrikaans. The Hertzog Prize is awarded annually by the academy for high-quality literary work, while the Havenga prize is awarded annually for original research in the sciences.

Origin

The initiative for the founding of the SAAWK came from General J. B. M. Hertzog who championed the Dutch-Afrikaans language. He suggested "dat een lichaam in 't leven worde geroepen ter bevordering van de Hollandse taal en letteren in Zuid-Afrika".
On 2 July 1909, the first 30 members of the body gathered to form the "Zuid-Afrikaanse Akademie voor Taal, Letteren en Kunst". The aim of the academy was "The enforcement and promotion of Dutch Language and Literature, and of the South African History, Archeology and Art", with an addendum that Dutch implied both Dutch and Afrikaans, as both languages were common in South Africa at the time.
The name of the Academy was changed to the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns in 1942 when a "science and technology" faculty was created.
Since then, it has been responsible for the establishment of, among others, the Simon van der Stel Foundation and the Africa Institute. Furthermore, the Academy strives to promote interest in South African history, antiquities, art and Afrikaans language and literature. The Academy has become known over the years because of the regular awarding of literary prizes and other prestigious awards such as the N. P. van Wyk Louw medal.
Honorary membership of the Academy is regarded as an exceptionally high honour, although it is not accompanied by any prize or prize money. A person considered for honorary membership of the Academy is nominated in recognition of exceptional service to South Africa, the Afrikaans language, or to the Academy in particular.

Change in status

In the early 1990s it was decided that a new organisation should be created to be the representative national science academy for South Africa. To this end the president of the Foundation for Research and Development invited the Royal Society of South Africa, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns and the Science and Engineering Academy of South Africa to jointly plan a new academy. This led to the creation of The Academy of Science of South Africa in 1995. Act 67 of 2001, the ASSAf Statute, revoked the SAAWK statute and ASSAf became the only national science academy of South Africa.
In response to this the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns registered in 2002 as a Nonprofit company.

Awards

Prizes, medals, awards of honorary membership and bursaries, as awarded by the Academy, are listed below.

Prizes

Awards are given in the following categories: