Texas Cultural Trust Opens Call For Nominations For 2025 Texas Medal of Arts Awards Honorees

Call for Nominations for the Twelfth Biennial Event are now open through Monday, October 16

AUSTIN, TEXAS [JULY 13, 2023] – Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT) announced today that nominations for the twelfth biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards (TMAA) are now open. The TXCT spotlights the luminaries and leaders who have achieved excellence through their creative talents, as well as those whose generosity has opened doors to artistic opportunity for Texans of all ages during a star-studded awards show and additional celebratory events. The Texas Medal of Arts is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by Texas. The nomination criteria and form can now be found on the TXCT website at txculturaltrust.org/nominate and closes Monday, October 16.

Nominees are considered in the following categories: architecture, arts education, arts in health, arts patron (individual or foundation/corporate), dance, design, film, lifetime achievement, fashion, literary arts, media/multimedia, music (performance and songwriter), television, theatre arts, and visual arts. 

“The Texas Medal of Arts Awards recognizes the vital role that arts and culture play in our state and our everyday lives,” said Heidi Marquez Smith, CEO of the Texas Cultural Trust. “Every TMAA honoree has contributed to our cultural heritage and inspired us in Texas and beyond. Celebrating their exemplary talents increases awareness about the importance of investing in the arts, arts education, and arts and culture industries.”

As the signature fundraising event for the Texas Cultural Trust, the TMAA is a two-day celebration of the power of the arts. Since 2001, TXCT has presented 129 medals to Texas creatives and those whose generosity has opened doors to artistic opportunities for Texans of all ages. The TMAA raises substantial financial support, visibility, and awareness for the arts and demonstrates how the arts can enhance a child’s education, bolster our state’s economy, and improve our health, well-being, and way of life.

The TMAA has celebrated numerous influential and talented honorees, including Matthew McConaughey, Miranda Lambert, Luke Wilson, Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria, ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross, Taylor Sheridan, Deborah Roberts, Dan Rather, Neiman Marcus, H-E-B, Margaret McDermott, Barbara Smith Conrad, Tommy Lee Jones, Bob Schieffer, Debbie Allen, Robert Rodriguez, James Surls, Walter Cronkite, Eloise and John Paul DeJoria, Tommy Tune, Lawrence Wright, Lake Flato Architects, The Nasher Foundation, Sandra Cisneros, Robert Rauschenberg, Clint Black, Anheuser Busch Companies, Lyle Lovett, Texas Monthly, Robert Edsel, AT&T, and Exxon Mobil, among others.

“All of us Texans are extra proud anyway, but the fact that this state really lifts up art and arts of all kinds and has a whole celebration for us and to support us… it’s really such an honor and I don’t take it lightly at all,” honoree Miranda Lambert shared upon receiving the 2023 Texas Medal of Arts Awards for music/songwriting.

Nominations will be accepted through Monday, October 16, 2023. Nominees must have been born or raised in Texas or developed a major portion of their work in Texas to qualify. Awardees must be present at the TMAAs in February 2025 to receive their award. 

For more information on the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, please visit txculturaltrust.org/tmaa. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit www.txculturaltrust.org.

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ABOUT THE TEXAS CULTURAL TRUST

The Texas Cultural Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the organization include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Arts Access, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, and Partners in the Arts. Efforts are amplified by supporters who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of the state. For more information, visit txculturaltrust.org.