Since 1982, The Gaudium Awards have been given to men and women whose lives have “illumined the horizon of human experience” through their extraordinary vocations in the arts and public service.

The Gaudium Award ceremony is not only honorific but through the generosity of those attending significant funds are raised which are distributed annually to worthwhile charitable organizations.

This year's honorees include Ayad Akhtar, John Dickerson, Anne-Marie McDermott and Catherine McKenna.

Ayad Akhtar - Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Tony Award nominated screenwriter, actor, and novelist

John Dickerson - Author, TV news analyst and contributor, former White House correspondent and co-anchor of the CBS Evening News

Anne-Marie McDermott - Award winning classical pianist and member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail Music Festival

Catherine McKenna - Noted Celtic Scholar, former Margaret Brooks Robinson Research Professor of Celtic Languages and Literature at Harvard University

The Gaudium Award of Merit recipients are Mary Giudici and Nello McDaniel.

The Gaudium Awards gala will benefit:

Nazareth Housing and Louise's Pantry - providing nutritious meals and other immediate needs to hundreds of families each week struggling with food insecurity.

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow - working to break the cycle of poverty and inequity through education, job training and employment.

Thank you for your generous support - we look forward to seeing you on September 14th. If you are unable to attend but still wish to donate, you may do so here.

The Gaudium Awards 2026

Honoring extraordinary contributors to the arts and public service