The Liberty Medal is an annual award administered by the National Constitution Center (NCC) of the United States to recognize people "of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty for people around the globe." The award was founded by the Philadelphia Foundation in 1989. The first recipient was Polish leader Lech Wałęsa. In 2006 the NCC took over the organizing, selecting and presenting of the award to recipients. Recipients are now chosen by the NCC and its board of trustees.
List of recipients YearCountryName2026Pope Leo XIV2025Hamilton and Ron Chernow2024Ken Burns2023Judy Woodruff and David Rubenstein2022Volodymyr Zelenskyy2021Jimmy LaiLoujain al-Hathloul2020Ruth Bader Ginsburg2019Anthony Kennedy2018George W. Bush and Laura BushThe 2018 Liberty Medal Ceremony2017John McCainRemarks At The 2017 Liberty Medal Ceremony2016John Lewis201514th Dalai Lama2014Malala Yousafzai2013Hillary Clinton2012Muhammad Ali2011Robert Gates2010Tony Blair2009Steven Spielberg2008Mikhail Gorbachev2007BonoDATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa)2006George H. W. BushBill Clinton2005Viktor Yushchenko2004Hamid Karzai"HAMID KARZAI 2004 Liberty Medal Recipient""Afghan President Hamid Karzai receives Philadelphia Liberty Medal"2003Sandra Day O'Connor2002Colin Powell2001Kofi Annan2000Dr. James D. WatsonDr. Francis Crick1999Kim Dae-jung1998George J. Mitchell1997CNN International1996King HusseinShimon Peres1995Sadako Ogata1994Václav Havel1993Nelson MandelaFrederik Willem de Klerk1992Thurgood Marshall1991Óscar Arias SánchezMédecins Sans Frontières1990Jimmy Carter1989Lech Wałęsa
See also
Independence National Historical Park
References
External links
National Constitution Center Official page