Marian Anderson Award

The Marian Anderson Award was originally established in 1943 by African American singer Marian Anderson after she was awarded the $10,000 Bok Prize that year by the city of Philadelphia. Anderson used the award money to establish a singing competition to help support young singers; recipients of which include Camilla Williams (1943, 1944), Nathaniel Dickerson (1944), Louise Parker (1944), Rawn Spearman (1949), Georgia Laster (1951), Betty Allen (1952), Gloria Davy (1952), Judith Raskin (1952, 1953), Shirlee Emmons (1953), Miriam Holman (1954), Willis Patterson (1956), Shirley Verrett (1957), Billie Lynn Daniel (1963), and Joyce Mathis (1967). Eventually the prize fund ran out of money and it was disbanded. Florence Quivar was the last recipient of this earlier award in 1976.

In 1990 the award was re-established and has dispensed $25,000 annually. In 1998 the prize was restructured with the "Marian Anderson Award" going to an established artist, not necessarily a singer, who exhibits leadership in a humanitarian area. A separate prize, the "Marian Anderson Prize for Emerging Classical Artists" is given to promising young classical singers.

Awardees by year:

• 1990 – Sylvia McNair
• 1991 – Denyce Graves
• 1992 – Philip Zawisza
• 1993 – Nancy Maultsby
• 1994 – Patricia Racette
• 1995 – Michelle DeYoung
• 1996 – Nathan Gunn
• 1997 – Marguerite Krull

• 1998 – Harry Belafonte
• 1999 – Gregory Peck
• 2000 – Elizabeth Taylor
• 2001 – Quincy Jones
• 2002 – Danny Glover
• 2003 – Oprah Winfrey
• 2005 – Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis
• 2006 – Sidney Poitier
• 2007 – Richard Gere
• 2008 – Maya Angelou and Norman Lear

• 2009 – Bill Cosby (Rescinded)
• 2011 – Mia Farrow
• 2012 - James Earl Jones
• 2013 - Berry Gordy
• 2014 - Jon Bon Jovi
• 2015 - Wynton Marsalis
• 2016 - Patti LaBelle and Gamble and Huff
• 2017 - Dionne Warwick