National Humanities Medal

The National Humanities Medal is an award that is given to people or groups that have helped Americans learn from and enjoy the Humanities. The award is given by the President of the United States. One version of the award was first given out in 1988. It was called the Charles Frankel Prize in the Humanities. In 1997 it was renamed as the National Humanities Medal.^[1]

In any year, the President may name as many as twelve people or groups to get the medal. The number of awards is different for each President. For example, President Obama gave 71 medals between 2009 and 2015, but President Trump only gave 7 medals in 2019 and 2020.^[2]

Award winners

Individuals

Some well-known people who have gotten the medal are singer Elton John, musician Wynton Marsalis, novelist Madeleine L'Engle, chef Alice Waters, poet John Ashbery, historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and film director Steven Spielberg.^[3]

Groups

Some groups and institutions that have gotten the National Humanities Medal are the Prison University Project,^[4] the American Antiquarian Society,^[5] the Norman Rockwell Museum,^[6] and the Iowa Writer's Workshop.^[7]

References

1. "The National Endowment for the Humanities". The National Endowment For The Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
2. "The National Endowment for the Humanities". The National Endowment For The Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
3. "The National Endowment for the Humanities". The National Endowment For The Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
4. "Prison University Project". The National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
5. "American Antiquarian Society". The National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
6. "Norman Rockwell Museum". The National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
7. "Iowa Writer's Workshop". The National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 2022-12-30.