In this session, NEA Folk & Traditional Arts staff provide a brief overview of the National Heritage Fellowship opportunity and outline the nomination process, including updates for 2026 nominations.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The program recognizes recipients’ artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage. Started in 1982 by the late Bess Lomax Hawes, the National Heritage Fellowships have honored 494 artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms.
More information about the National Heritage Fellows is available at arts.gov/Heritage.
View the presentation in English with closed captions and ASL interpretation.
View the recording in Spanish. This recording includes Q&A in Spanish.
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