National Portrait Gallery Announces Jamie Dimon, Temple Grandin, Joy Harjo and Steven Spielberg To Receive Museum’s 2025 Portrait of a Nation Award

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has announced the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Award honorees. Established in 2015, the Portrait of a Nation Award recognizes extraordinary individuals who have made transformative contributions to the United States and its people across numerous fields of endeavor, ranging from the arts and sciences to sports, humanitarianism and business. The awards will be presented at the ticketed Portrait of a Nation Gala Saturday, Nov. 15. The event will mark the 10th anniversary of the prestigious award ceremony and fundraiser. The co-chairs of this gala are Teresa Carlson and Nicole Washington.

This year’s award recipients are:

• Jamie Dimon, business leader
• Temple Grandin, distinguished professor, inventor, groundbreaking researcher of animal science and advocate for autism awareness
• Joy Harjo, internationally renowned poet, performer and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and 23rd U.S. poet laureate
• Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning director, producer and writer

Newly acquired and commissioned portraits of the 2025 Portrait of a Nation honorees will be on view on the museum’s first floor from Nov. 14 through Oct. 25, 2026. 

“This year’s honorees represent the remarkable breadth of American achievement—from pioneering groundbreaking research, to visionary leadership in finance, to artistic expressions that have defined our cultural landscape,” said Kim Sajet, director of the museum. “The National Portrait Gallery is delighted to recognize these extraordinary individuals whose accomplishments embody our nation’s resilience and whose portraits will inspire visitors from across the country.”

Past recipients of the Portrait of a Nation Award include:  

• 2015: Henry “Hank” Aaron, Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, Aretha Franklin, Carolina Herrera and Maya Lin
• 2017: Madeleine K. Albright, David D. Ho, M.D., Bill T. Jones, Spike Lee and Rita Moreno
• 2019: Frances Arnold, Jeffrey P. Bezos, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Indra Nooyi and Anna Wintour
• 2022: José Andrés, Clive Davis, Ava DuVernay, Marian Wright Edelman, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Proceeds from the Portrait of a Nation Gala will strengthen the museum’s operations and endowment. Lead sponsors of the 2025 Portrait of a Nation Gala include General Dynamics and David M. Rubenstein. Host Committee members include Bloomberg Philanthropies, Michael Hollander and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United States. The founding chairs are Wayne and Catherine Reynolds. For more information, visit npg.si.edu/gala.

National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. Spanning the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the nation’s story.

The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: 202-633-1000. Connect with the museum at npg.si.edu and on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

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