Congratulations to Judy Rand, winner of the 2019 American Alliance of Museums’ Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing competition.
Sponsored by AAM’s Curators Committee in cooperation with the Education Professional Network (EdCom) and National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME), the competition recognizes outstanding label writing that’s “clear, concise, and captivating…a combination not easily achieved.”
Judy Rand, who wrote the winning entries for Shedd Aquarium’s special exhibit Underwater Beauty, describes the approach:

“We wanted Underwater Beauty to feel beautiful in every way. Thinking deeply about voice, tone and style, we imagined an ideal companion: a nature poet, roaming the aquarium. As a poet, she’s concise: every word works. A keen observer, she’s deeply appreciative. And because she’s writing at Shedd, she isn’t cryptic: she’s crystal-clear. Writing in this style meant taking great care with rhythm, meter and flow.”