The Work Defining What America Stands For
Explore how Anthem Award winners are using storytelling, data, and civic action to shape America’s next 250 years.
As the United States marks 250 years, the question is not how far we have come, but what we are building. The Anthem Awards recognizes the organizations doing that work: protecting civic memory, mobilizing communities, and using creativity and data to make American democracy stronger and more inclusive.
These Anthem Award winners show what it looks like to honor America’s history while doing the concrete work of building a more equitable future.
Human Rights Campaign American Dreams Tour
2025 Gold Anthem Winner
The Human Rights Campaign’s American Dreams Tour traveled through red and purple states to amplify LGBTQ+ stories at a time of rising political attacks. Anchoring in six major cities from Columbus to Nashville, the tour trained communities in personal storytelling as a tool for shifting hearts, minds, and policy, earning coverage nationally.
Medal of Honor Valor Trail
2025 Silver Anthem Winner
The Medal of Honor Valor Trail connects Americans to the places most deeply linked with Medal of Honor recipients, from the Civil War through the 21st century. By marrying story to site at battlefields, birthplaces, and memorials, the project builds a lasting framework for how Americans understand courage and sacrifice.
The Arts are America’s HeARTbeat
2025 Silver Anthem Winner
The Arts are America’s HeARTbeat made the case that federal arts funding is not a cultural luxury but a democratic necessity. Released on Independence Day 2025, the PSA used emotional storytelling and star power to mobilize citizens and policymakers around NEA funding, reaching millions across platforms and driving advocacy action through The Creative Coalition.
@thecreativecoalition In these urgent times, we must not let the creative legacy of this country be diminished. Our voices, our stories, our art are what make America strong, resilient, and proud. Support the NEA!
The U.S. Democracy Hub
2025 Silver and Anthem Community Voice Winner
The US Democracy Hub transforms complex civic data into actionable tools for advocates, journalists, and communities to monitor democratic health. Now a critical resource for philanthropy and media, the platform highlights resource disparities and vulnerabilities to foster a data-driven approach to strengthening national infrastructure.
Reel Talk: Saving America’s Public Media Matters More Than You May Know
2025 Silver and Bronze Anthem Winner
Reel Talk: Saving America’s Public Media profiles the effort by WGBH and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting to digitize and preserve decades of at-risk public radio and television content. The project reached 1 million annual web visitors and screened at the Boston Public Library alongside Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress.
Other honorees this year reflected the many ways American democracy, civic memory, and cultural preservation continue to shape how we understand this country. RENEGADES was honored for centering underrepresented stories in American culture through film, using the power of narrative to expand whose voices are part of the national conversation. Also, The Carter Center’s 2023-2024 Annual Report honored the legacy of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter while documenting the organization’s ongoing global commitment to democracy, election integrity, and human rights.
As America marks 250 years, these Anthem Award winners show that honoring this country means doing the ongoing work of democracy, preservation, and civic storytelling.
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Enter the 6th Annual Anthem Awards
If you’re creating outstanding social impact work, enter it in the 6th Annual Anthem Awards. Explore honors in our brand new Industry Specific Programs like Voting Rights & Civic Engagement, Freedom of Expression and Press, Community-Led Advocacy & Organizing, Cultural Celebration & Heritage Preservation, Veteran & Military Family Support, and Indigenous Rights & Sovereignty.
Submit your work by July 31st, 2026 to set the new standard for good!
