U2 To Receive Prestigious 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize

U2 have been named the recipients of the prestigious Woody Guthrie Prize, which is an annual award given to an act who embodies the late folk singer’s “social consciousness and musical legacy.”

“U2 embodies the mission of the Woody Guthrie Prize, using music to confront injustice and inspire action,” stated Cady Shaw, senior director of the Woody Guthrie Center. “By presenting the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize to U2, we honor a legacy of music that continues to challenge who we are and connect us the world over.”

The award will go to all four members of the band, with Bono and The Edge slated accept the honor on October 21st at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It will mark the first time that the pair will set foot in Cain’s Ballroom since U2 played the venue in 1981 on their tour in support of debut album Boy.

A press release further notes, “In their art and in their actions, U2 band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. continue a tradition of using music as a force for social change, echoing Guthrie’s belief that songs can help make the world a fairer place”

Previous recipients of the Woody Guthrie Prize include Pete Seeger (2014), Mavis Staples (2015), Kris Kristofferson (2016), Norman Lear (2017), John Mellencamp (2018), Chuck D (2019), Joan Baez (2020), Bruce Springsteen (2021), Pussy Riot (2023), and Tom Morello (2024).

A limited number of experience packages for U2’s ceremony will be available for sponsors and members of the Woody Guthrie Center.