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Special Report

2015 Ingenuity Awards

The Smithsonian has been celebrating innovation in American culture for more than 150 years and the highest honor we now give in that regard is the American Ingenuity Award, which showcases revolutionary breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, education and social progress. Winners and presenters have included Nobel laureates, rock stars and civil rights icons—from physicist Stephen Hawking, to Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, to musicians David Byrne and St. Vincent, writer and educator Dave Eggers, virtual reality inventor Palmer Luckey, and Grammy-award winner Rosanne Cash. The American Ingenuity Award itself was created by the artist Jeff Koons.

Read about this year's winners and other related events, including for the first time a public forum featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, the 2015 American Ingenuity Award Winner for History, at the National Museum of American History.


This Year's Winners

Bill Hader and Fred Armisen share a laugh at the Broadway Video offices in Beverly Hills, CA, surrounded by the tools of their trade for their new series, <i>Documentary Now</i>.

INNOVATION

Why Bill Hader and Fred Armisen Are Parodying Documentaries in Their Latest, Ingenious Project

ARTS & CULTURE

Meet Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Genius Behind "Hamilton," Broadway's Newest Hit

Left: Alan Stern holds a 2005 Hubble image of the Pluto system on January 19, 2006, two hours after the successful launch of the New Horizons probe. Right: A triumphant Stern holds a full-frame image of Pluto, taken just hours before the New Horizons probe reached its closest point to Pluto.

INNOVATION

How Alan Stern Brought Pluto to Earth

INNOVATION

This Wildly Creative Art Project Transformed an Ugly Interstate Into a 2,400-Mile-Long Visual Masterpiece

Doo Yeon Kim, left, and Rudolph Tanzi

INNOVATION

The Two Brains at the Forefront of the Fight Against Alzheimer's

INNOVATION

The New Yorker Editor Who Became a Comic Book Hero

Theaster Gates' Chicago studio includes a formal gallery and a wood shop.

INNOVATION

How Theaster Gates Is Revitalizing Chicago's South Side, One Vacant Building at a Time

INNOVATION

Smile, Frown, Grimace and Grin — Your Facial Expression Is the Next Frontier in Big Data

INNOVATION

The Young Inventor Who Is a "Minder" of a Business of Her Own

Photo credits: Fred Armisen and Bill Hader/ Brinson + Banks; Lin-Manuel Miranda/Erin Patrice O'Brien; Alan Stern/ Jamie Kripke; Zoe Crosher and Shamim Momin/Mathieu Young; Doo Yeon Kim and Rudolph Tanzi/Irvin Serrano; Francoise Mouly/Sarah Shatz; Theaster Gates/Jon Lowenstein; Rana el Kaliouby/Kevin Tachman; Lilianna Zyskowski/Hollenderx2

Past Winners

INNOVATION

The 2014 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award Winners

SPECIAL REPORTS

The 2013 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award Winners

None

SPECIAL REPORTS

Smithsonian's 2012 American Ingenuity Award Winners

Videos

None

Performing Arts: Bill Hader and Fred Armisen

None

History: Lin-Manuel Miranda

None

Physical Sciences: Alan Stern

None

Visual Arts: Zoe Crosher and Shamim Momin

None

Natural Sciences: Doo Yeon Kim and Rudolph Tanzi

None

Education: Françoise Mouly

None

Social Progress: Theaster Gates

None

Technology: Rana el Kaliouby

None

Youth: Lilianna Zyskowski

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