Shelley Hirsch was born and raised in New York City in 1952, her work was commissioned by New American Radio but never won any award.
She won a DAAD Residency Grant in Berlin 1992, a Prix Futura award in 1993, and multiple awards from Creative Capital, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the New York State Council for the Arts, Four from NYFA and six from Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center. 
