About
Representing an unrestricted cash prize of $525,000, the awards annually honor up to six outstanding individuals working in the fields of contemporary dance, jazz, and theater.
The award is unique in its support for the underlying conditions that enable artists to thrive. Recipients are free to use the prize money however they wish. The award also comes with an incentive of up to $25,000 to save for retirement, as well as professional development, financial planning, management services, networking, and performance opportunities.
While monetarily significant, the award is more than just an award. For winners, it’s also an opportunity to be in community with other preeminent performing artists. Through annual retreats and symposia hosted by the foundation, awardees past and present—a cohort now more than 140 strong—gather to connect, collaborate, and imagine the future of the field together. They also share their perspectives on the challenges of being a working artist today, which in turn shapes Doris Duke Foundation’s future artist-centered initiatives.
The award exemplifies the foundation’s belief in the singular role that artists play in enriching life and enlivening society. Since its inception in 2012, the awards have distributed more than $40 million to artists. Award money is given to each winner over the course of seven years, meaning that in any given year, the foundation is directly supporting 42 individual artists.
When artists thrive, we all thrive.
Doris Duke Artist Award recipients Nora Chipaumire, David Henry Hwang, Dael Orlandersmith, Kyle Abraham, Peggy Shaw, Terri Lyne Carrington and Darcy James Argue on the powerful effects of funding artists.
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