COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina Arts Commission is currently accepting nominations for the 2010 Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts. Guidelines and nomination forms are available online. Nominations are due by Friday, Jan. 15, 2010.

The awards, the state's highest honor in the arts, are presented to South Carolina businesses, organizations and individuals for their achievement or contributions to the advancement of the arts. Nominations can be made in the following categories:

Arts in Education: open to S.C. individuals and/or institutions whose primary function is arts education.

Organization: open to S.C. organizations that contribute to the advancement and/or support of the arts. May include: arts discipline organizations, arts councils, arts advocacy groups, guilds, arts departments of organizations, educational institutions and others.

Government: open to S.C. individuals and/or institutions generally described as a unit of state, local, count or municipal government, or elected/appointed officials. Business/Foundation: open to S.C. individuals or companies/foundations whose participation, support, and/or contributions have benefited the maintenance and growth of the arts.

Individual: open to S.C. individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and statewide impact through their leadership, support, and advancement of the arts. May include: arts professionals such as managers, administrators, arts supporters such as patrons, promoters, donors, etc. Individual Artist: open to S.C. artists of exceptional talent and creativity, in any discipline, whose contribution to the arts has helped guide and influence directions, trends and aesthetic practices across the state or to national or international levels. A committee appointed by the S.C. Arts Commission reviews all nominations and makes recommendations to the board for final approval. The awards will be presented during a ceremony at the Statehouse on May 6, 2010, in which bestselling author Pat Conroy, and celebrated artist Jonathan Green will also be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards. An evening celebration presented by the South Carolina Arts Foundation will follow the Statehouse presentation. For more information about the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Awards for the Arts, call (803) 734-8696.