Points of Distinction

Forrest Pierce, associate professor of music composition, won the 2012 Barlow Prize given by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University.

Pierce, who received an honorarium of $12,000, will compose a major new work for a cappella choir. The piece will be givein its premiere in 2014 by a consortium of three choirs: the BBC Singers (London), Latvian Radio Choir (Latvia), and Volti (San Francisco).

Pierce has composed more than 50 works for voices, including more than 25 works for chorus over the past 10 years.

Kij Johnson, assistant professor of English, won a 2012 a Hugo Award in the Best Novella category for her work “The Man Who Bridged the Mist.”

The Hugo Awards, named for pioneering science fiction magazine editor Hugo Gernsback, are considered the most prestigious U.S. honor for science fiction writers.

Johnson's novella also won the 2012 Nebula Award.