National Heritage Fellowships
The National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowships is the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Each year since 1982, the program recognizes recipients' artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.
Including the 2026 class, the Arts Endowment has awarded 502 National Heritage Fellowships, recognizing artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms.
A ceremony honoring the 2026 National Heritage Fellows will take place on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, and available to watch live on arts.gov/heritage. More details will be available closer to the event.
♦♦♦♦
2026 NEA National Heritage Fellows
Looking Back
Access the full archive of National Heritage Fellowships tribute videos, award ceremonies, and concerts
2025 Film | 2024 Film | 2023 Film | 2022 Film | 2021 Film | 2020 Film | 2019 Concert
Photo Gallery
The Story of Our Heritage: 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows Tribute Videos
From vibrant folklórico dresses and engraved silver spurs to rhythmic drums and resonant banduras, discover the extraordinary artists and tradition bearers shaping America’s cultural landscape. These beautifully crafted vignettes take viewers on a journey into the lives and communities of the seven 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts.
