Sir Elton John Named 15th Glenn Gould Prize Laureate for Artistic and Humanitarian Contributions
Sir Elton John, 15th Glenn Gould Prize Laureate · Photo Credit Peggy Sirota
TORONTO, March 11, 2025 (ENTERTAINMENT INTERVIEWS) — Arts foundation, The Glenn Gould Foundation, has announced that musician Sir Elton John has been named the Laureate of the 15th Glenn Gould Prize. The biennial award recognizes an individual whose lifetime contributions in the arts have enriched the human condition. Sir Elton was selected by an international jury of artists and cultural leaders.
The Glenn Gould Prize, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of the Arts," includes a CAD$100,000 award for the laureate and a CAD$25,000 Glenn Gould Protégé Prize, granted to a young artist chosen by the winner.
“After spending decades admiring the virtuosity of Glenn Gould’s work, I am awestruck and honoured to receive this award,” said Sir Elton John.
With more than five decades in music, John has sold over 300 million albums, produced more than 50 Top 40 hits, and achieved EGOT status, having received Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. He is also recognized for his philanthropic efforts, particularly in HIV/AIDS advocacy through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised over USD$600 million globally.
The 15th Glenn Gould Prize jury was chaired by former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell and included actor Jeremy Irons, screenwriter Lee Hall, BBC Radio 3 Controller Sam Jackson, filmmaker Nyla Innuksuk, and other global arts leaders.
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'In selecting our Laureate, Elton John, we chose to honour someone who has great artistic accomplishments but whose life and whose art has been translated into something much greater than just performance or the consumption of music and things they’ve created. Elton John has used his enormous talent and his great success to change lives. He’s been courageous in taking on causes, whether AIDS, LGBTQ+ rights, addiction and all sorts of issues that were not popular when he engaged with them and he was prepared to take the wonderful success that his musical talent had given him to make a difference in the world. And from our perspective that represents the highest level of achievement for an artist and celebrates the memory of Glenn Gould in the best way,' said Kim Campbell, Jury Chair of the 15th Glenn Gould Prize and former Prime Minister of Canada.
A special public event at Kings Place in London announced the prize, which included performances by South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza and Canadian pianist Ryan Wang. The official award presentation will take place at a gala in Toronto this fall.
For more information, visit www.glenngould.ca.
Source: The Glenn Gould Foundation
