Our Laureates

Click on a name for more detailed information about our Past Laureate Winners

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  Mark Morris 2012 Laureate Prize

  2012 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in the Performing Arts

  Mark Morris has achieved a reputation as one of the world's leading modern dance choreographers. Dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, with whom Morris founded the White Oak Dance Project in 1990, has called Morris "one of the great choreographers of our time" and credits Morris for giving him wonderful pieces to… More

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  Johnnetta B. Cole 2011 Laureate Prize

  2011 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in the Arts

  Johnnetta B. Cole has had a rich and varied career as an anthropologist, author and educator.  Cole’s work in academia and anthropology, and her published work span over four decades and reflect a deep and abiding commitment to racial and gender equality that is rooted in her upbringing.  As a… More

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  Greg Mortenson 2010 Laureate Prize

  2010 Laureate in Public Service

  Greg Mortenson, author and humanitarian, is best known for his tireless work building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past 16 years.  Author of the best sellers Three Cups of Tea (www.threecupsoftea.com) and Stones into Schools, Mortenson also is the co-founder of the non-profit Central Asia Institute (www.ikat.org) and… More

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  Lisa Randall 2009 Laureate Prize

  2009 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in the Sciences

  Physicist Lisa Randall is best known for her work involving extra dimensions of space, or "warped" geometries, and her suggestion that might explain the weakness of gravity or allow us to live in a world with an infinite extra dimension -- possibly even in a three-dimensional sinkhole in a higher-dimensional… More

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  Meryl Streep 2008 Laureate Prize

  2008 Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in the Arts

  Actress Meryl Streep has portrayed an astonishing array of roles in an illustrious career in the theater, film, and television.  The two-time Academy Award winner and recipient of a record-breaking 14 Oscar nominations is widely respected as one of our most distinguished and talented actors.  But she is also notable… More

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  Ted Turner 2007 Laureate Prize

  Public Service & The Humanities

  Since the early 1970's, Ted Turner has stepped into the international spotlight with one accomplishment after another. In billboard advertisement, cable television, sports team ownership, sailing, environmental initiatives and philanthropy, Turner's vision, determination, generosity and forthrightness have consistently been aimed at improving the world.Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III was born… More

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  Jules Feiffer 2006 Laureate Prize

  Arts

  Jules Feiffer, one of American's most influential editorial cartoonists, is also a playwright, novelist, screenwriter and author of children's books. His Pulitzer prize-winning trademark cartoon style, widely imitated by younger generations of political cartoonists, typically features sparely drawn, neurotic characters, appearing against blank backgrounds and emoting or agonizing over news… More

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  Sandra Day O’Connor 2005 Laureate Prize

  Public Service & The Humanities

  Sandra Day O'Connor became the first female appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1981. Pursuing a career in a male-dominated profession, with quiet determination, she rose to the top of her field. A pragmatic, moderate and creative jurist, known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions… More

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  Eric Kandel 2004 Laureate Prize

  Science

  Eric Kandel received the 2000 Nobel Prize in physiology for his groundbreaking work on how new experiences are incorporated into the mind as learning and memory at the cellular level, by studying the nervous system of the sea slug Aplysia. He is Senior Investigator, Columbia University College of Physicians &… More

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  Daniel Patrick Moynihan 2003 Laureate Prize

  Public Service

  Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an unapologetic intellectual who offered challenging and groundbreaking solutions to public policy dilemmas, including welfare, poverty, and racism. Formerly a professor of government at Harvard University, he has written and edited many books. He served as Senator of New York from 1977-2001, and was ambassador to… More

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  Yo-Yo Ma 2002 Laureate Prize

  Arts

  The multifaceted career of internationally acclaimed cellist and musicologist Yo-Yo Ma is testament to his continual search for new ways to stimulate artistic growth and renewal. Drawing his inspiration from a wide circle of collaborators and diverse traditions, he established the Silk Road Project and numerous innovative educational programs. The… More