Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Out rapper Lil Nas X wins American Ingenuity Award

Published

on

Photo: Gettyimages/Roy Rochlin

Lil Nas X, fresh off the heels of becoming the first out gay performer to win a Country Music Association Award, is already being honored again.

On Tuesday, Smithsonian magazine announced that the rapper-singer-songwriter, who rose to stardom with his genre-bending, record-breaking single “Old Town Road,” is the recipient of their American Ingenuity Award for Youth.

The award is one of seven bestowed by the magazine annually, across a wide range of categories: Youth, Visual Arts, Social Progress, Technology, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Performing Arts.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Lil Nas X, rapper-singer-songwriter who rose to stardom with his genre-bending, record-breaking single “Old Town Road,” honored for Youth.

Amy Sherald, painter known for her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama, whose work seeks to fit African Americans into the canon of American portraiture, honored for Visual Arts.

José Andrés, restaurateur and founder of World Central Kitchen, the nonprofit that is revolutionizing the way emergency food aid is delivered, honored for Social Progress.

Alex Kipman, Brazilian-born inventor and visionary behind many of Microsoft’s most pioneering products, including the “mixed-reality” headset known as HoloLens, honored for Technology.

Ewelina Mamcarz, Stephen Gottschalk and Brian Sorrentino (posthumously), the team of doctors at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who developed a cure for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency—a genetic disorder colloquially known as “bubble boy” disease, honored for Life Sciences.


Sheperd Doeleman and the Event Horizon Telescope Team, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard University, who led a team of more than 200 researchers in the international effort to create the first-ever image of a black hole, honored for Physical Sciences.

Heidi Schreck, writer and star of “What the Constitution Means to Me,” a play that opens an honest debate over the meaning, value and limitations of America’s founding document, honored for Performing Arts.

“Our American Ingenuity Awards honor those individuals who are spearheading revolutionary change in society,” says Smithsonian magazine creative director Maria Keehan. “We are celebrating visionaries across a multitude of platforms, from those aiding disaster victims worldwide to those developing a life-saving gene therapy or redefining what is means to mix genres in music. We are proud to honor this year’s class, all of whom are at the top of their respective fields.

The winners are featured in Smithsonian magazine’s special December American Ingenuity Awards issue, available now at Smithsonianmag.com/ingenuity and on newsstands Nov. 26.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Photos

PHOTOS: The Audacity Brunch

2026 Capital Pride Honors presented at ‘Full Fuchsia’ ceremony

Published

on

The 2026 Capital Pride Honors were presented at The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia on Sunday, June 7. (Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

Continue Reading

Out & About

Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves

Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community

Published

on

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.

This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.

For more details, visit the cemetery’s website

Continue Reading

Out & About

Baltimore Pride is here

Parade, block party, festival planned for Maryland city

Published

on

A scene from last year’s Baltimore Pride. This year’s main events take place on Saturday and Sunday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.

The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.

There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events. 

For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website

Continue Reading

Popular