WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery has announced the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Award honorees. Established in 2015, the Portrait of a Nation Award recognizes extraordinary individuals who have made transformative contributions to the United States and its people across numerous fields of endeavor, ranging from the arts and sciences to sports, humanitarianism and business. The awards will be presented at the ticketed Portrait of a Nation Gala Saturday, Nov. 15. The event will mark the 10th anniversary of the prestigious award ceremony and fundraiser. The co-chairs of this gala are Teresa Carlson and Nicole Washington.
This years award recipients are:
Jamie Dimon, business leader
Temple Grandin, distinguished professor, inventor, groundbreaking researcher of animal science and advocate for autism awareness
Joy Harjo, internationally renowned poet, performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and 23rd U.S. poet laureate
Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning director, producer and writer
Newly acquired and commissioned portraits of the 2025 Portrait of a Nation honorees will be on view on the museums first floor from Nov. 14 through Oct. 25, 2026.
This years honorees represent the remarkable breadth of American achievementfrom pioneering groundbreaking research, to visionary leadership in finance, to artistic expressions that have defined our cultural landscape, said Kim Sajet, director of the museum. The National Portrait Gallery is delighted to recognize these extraordinary individuals whose accomplishments embody our nations resilience and whose portraits will inspire visitors from across the country.
Past recipients of the Portrait of a Nation Award include:
2015: Henry Hank Aaron, Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, Aretha Franklin, Carolina Herrera and Maya Lin
2017: Madeleine K. Albright, David D. Ho, M.D., Bill T. Jones, Spike Lee and Rita Moreno
2019: Frances Arnold, Jeffrey P. Bezos, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Indra Nooyi and Anna Wintour
2022: José Andrés, Clive Davis, Ava DuVernay, Marian Wright Edelman, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Proceeds from the Portrait of a Nation Gala will strengthen the museums operations and endowment. Lead sponsors of the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Gala include General Dynamics and David M. Rubenstein. Host Committee members include Bloomberg Philanthropies, Michael Hollander and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United States. The founding chairs are Wayne and Catherine Reynolds.