Smithsonian magazine announced a sampling of the upcoming recipients of its third annual American Ingenuity Awards this week, preparing to salute ten groundbreaking individuals across nine categories including technology, performing and visual arts, natural and physical sciences, education, historical scholarship, social progress and youth achievement.
Though not all of the honorees for this year’s ceremony — which will be hosted by NPR’s Michel Martin when it is held Thursday, October 16th at the National Portrait Gallery — have been divulged, it has been confirmed that singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash will receive the Performing Arts award presented by legendary musician, producer, and famed guitarist T Bone Burnett.
“Smithsonian magazine’s editorial team has selected an exceptional group of honorees who each embody our mission of increasing knowledge and shaping the world of tomorrow,” said Smithsonian magazine editor-in-chief Michael Caruso. “It is thrilling to be able to bring together this group of extraordinary minds, celebrate their revolutionary work, and share their accomplishments with the world.”
The 2014 American Ingenuity Awards presenters include:
- Stephen Hawking, Professor, University of Cambridge, Centre for Mathematical Sciences (beaming in from Across the Atlantic via video)
- George Pelecanos, crime novelist, writer and producer of HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme”
- Daniel Libeskind, Master Plan architect of the World Trade Center, Founder and Principal Architect of Studio Libeskind
- Steve Case, Chairman and CEO, Revolution LLC & Co-Founder, America Online
- Beau Willimon, Creator/Showrunner, Netflix’s “House of Cards”
- Kaya Henderson, Chancellor of Washington, D.C. Public Schools
- Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health
- William Gadsby, Medically Retired U.S. Marine Corporal
Introduced in 2013, the American Ingenuity Awards is the continuation of Smithsonian’s long tradition of showcasing American innovation. Past honorees have included Elon Musk, CEO & CTO of SpaceX and CEO & Chief Product Architect of Tesla Motors, singer-songwriter St. Vincent, jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, Academy Award Nominated Director Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), multi-media artist Doug Aitken, writer Dave Eggers and Mimi Lok of Voice of Witness, and Jack Andraka, the 15-year old high school student who invented a new test for detecting pancreatic cancer.
The full list of 2014 winners will be revealed at the awards gala on October 16th.
