Bette Midler Named 2026 Recipient Of Woody Guthrie Prize

Bette Midler is the latest artist to join the Woody Guthrie Prize’s long line of cultural troublemakers and social change advocates. The Woody Guthrie Center will bestow the honor Oct. 16 at Tulsa, Ok.’s Cain’s Ballroom as part of an event featuring remarks from Guthrie family members, an intimate conversation between Midler and music journalist Rona Elliot and a solo acoustic performance from country singer/songwriter Bryan Andrews.

The prize, established in 2014, recognizes artists who embody Guthrie’s legacy by using music and other forms of art to speak out and create positive social change. Past recipients include Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, Kris Kristofferson, Norman Lear, John Mellencamp, Chuck D, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Pussy Riot, Tom Morello and, most recently, U2. Midler now carries that torch with a career that has moved freely between pop stardom, film, theater and advocacy.

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“I am so honored to have been chosen to receive the Woody Guthrie Prize this year,” Midler said. She recalled Guthrie’s commitment to justice and his advocacy for people without power, calling him “one of the greatest Americans we were ever lucky enough to have among us to light the way.”

Midler singled out “I Ain’t Got No Home in This World Anymore” as her favorite Guthrie song, describing it as a portrait of “the migrant and the outcast” that refuses to ask for pity. Her own recent re-recording and collaboration on Guthrie’s “All You Fascists Bound to Lose” further underscores the connection.

“What I love about Bette Midler is that she is one of the rare artists that bring joy, laughter and love to the Good Fight!” said Nora Guthrie, Woody’s daughter. She praised Midler for consistently directing her talents toward people who are “historically unseen or ignored.”

That activist streak has been woven through Midler’s career beyond music. She has long advocated for environmental conservation, public spaces, LGBTQ+ rights, public health and humanitarian causes, and in 1995 founded the New York Restoration Project, which works to preserve community gardens and green spaces across New York City. Midler’s artistic résumé is equally expansive: she has won four Grammys, three Emmys and two Tonys, received two Oscar nominations and was inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021. Her albums have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

The 2026 Guthrie Prize event is also the Woody Guthrie Center’s most important annual fundraiser. Tickets go on sale to Center members Aug. 28, with proceeds supporting educational programming, public events, exhibitions and outreach.

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