Award Categories
Western Heritage Awards
Nominations
The Western Heritage Awards honor individuals, films, literature, and music that preserve and promote the culture, values, and history of the American West. Hosted by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the awards celebrate contributions to Western heritage and recognize excellence in depicting the Western experience.
Film & Television
Any individual or organization may enter Western productions originally released or aired between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and postmarked by December 31, 2024, in the appropriate television or film category.
The entry’s subject matter or theme should relate to the American West and/or the Western experience. The winner of each category will be required to supply a broadcast-quality DVD or digital copy by link of the winning entry (non-returnable).
Clips from the winning entries, no longer than one minute in length, will be shown publicly during the Awards Ceremony on April 12, 2025, and may be included in subsequent televised broadcast of the 2025 Western Heritage Awards.
Literary
Any individual or organization may enter Western-themed publications, originally copyrighted between December 1, 2023, and November 30, 2024, in the appropriate category and postmarked by November 30, 2024.
The entry’s subject matter or theme in all literary categories should relate to the American West and/or the Western experience. Vanity press manuscripts are eligible in all book categories.
Entries will be evaluated on scholarship, organization, interpretation, presentation, quality of writing, and illustration when applicable. Fiction, Juvenile, and Poetry entries will be evaluated on originality and creativity, and faithfulness to the facts, legends, and/or mythology of the West.
Music
Any individual or organization may enter original Western compositions or traditional Western albums. The original album copyright date must be between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and postmarked by December 31, 2024, in the appropriate music category.
The entry’s theme should relate to the American West and/or the Western experience in the traditional cowboy music genre, which is not necessarily synonymous with “country” music. Music videos are not eligible.
Great Western Performers & Great Westerners
Since our start, the Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has been a place to enshrine the people who have embodied the stories of the West. Each year during the Western Heritage Awards, we add to our Halls of Great Westerners and Hall of Great Western Performers. These people exemplify a commitment to preserving the knowledge and history of the American West.
