A formal banquet event in a history museum; guests are seated at round tables covered with white linens, facing a long head table on an elevated stage. Two large projection screens display the text “History Makers Award Dinner.” The room is decorated with floral centerpieces and illuminated by ornate chandeliers.

History Makers Award Dinner

Since 1992, the Heinz History Center has honored exceptional individuals whose accomplishments, while rooted here in Western Pennsylvania, transcend geographic bounds. History Makers profoundly contribute to the innovative history and collective heritage of our region and represent a commitment to excellence that has defined our community. The History Center is proud to celebrate such individuals and to share their remarkable stories.

Funding raised from the Award Dinner helps to preserve our regional history for future generations and provide a space where experiences and learning moments for all ages help make memories that last a lifetime. The History Center tells the stories of Western Pennsylvanians whose hard work, innovation, enterprise, creativity, and courage improved the world and still serves to guide and inspire us today. Like our History Makers, we are encouraged (but not surprised) by stories of Pittsburgh’s can-do spirit and kindness. After all—we are home to “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

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Photo Gallery

Five clear glass awards with “History Center” etched on each are arranged in a row on a round table covered with a glittery dark blue tablecloth; the display is set before a dark curtain backdrop, prepared for the History Makers Award Dinner.
A spacious banquet hall with round tables covered in white tablecloths and set with dinnerware, filled with guests in formal attire; a speaker stands at a podium on an elevated stage at the front of the room while attendees converse and listen.
A formal banquet event in a history museum; guests are seated at round tables covered with white linens, facing a long head table on an elevated stage. Two large projection screens display the text “History Makers Award Dinner.” The room is decorated with floral centerpieces and illuminated by ornate chandeliers.
An older man wearing a medal and a suit smiles and speaks with a man in a tuxedo at the History Makers Award Dinner; a woman stands in the background, smiling, in an elegantly decorated room.
Five people dressed in formal evening wear stand side by side indoors, each wearing a medal around their neck at the History Makers Award Dinner. Large windows behind them reveal an American flag in the background.
Five people in formal attire stand together, smiling around a small table with glasses of drinks and lit candles, posing for a group photo against a light-colored wall at the History Makers Award Dinner.
Five older adults in formal black attire stand side by side indoors, each wearing a gold medallion on a red, white, and blue ribbon around their neck. They are posing and smiling for a group photo as honorees at the History Makers Award Dinner.
A woman in a sleeveless black dress and a man in a black tuxedo with a bow tie stand side by side indoors, smiling at the camera during the History Makers Award Dinner.
A group of men and women dressed in formal attire, some with medals around their necks, pose together in a brightly lit hallway with chandeliers at the History Makers Award Dinner. Three people are seated in front, while the rest stand behind them, all smiling at the camera.
Two men in tuxedos smile and pose together at the History Makers Award Dinner. One man has his arm around the other, who is holding an award and wearing a medal around his neck. A microphone stand and curtain backdrop are visible behind them.
A speaker stands at a podium on stage in a large banquet hall, addressing the audience at the History Makers Award Dinner. The stage is decorated with floral arrangements and flanked by large screens that display an image of the speaker.
Three people dressed formally smile at the History Makers Award Dinner. The woman in the center wears a silver dress and a medal around her neck, while the two men beside her wear black tuxedos. The background is softly lit and elegant.
A smiling woman and man wearing formal attire and medals stand together at the History Makers Award Dinner, with blue-lit tables and guests in the background.
An older man in a tuxedo with a medal around his neck stands beside a smiling woman wearing a red off-the-shoulder dress; both are posing indoors at the History Makers Award Dinner, with large windows behind them revealing city buildings at night.
Three people in formal attire stand together at the History Makers Award Dinner, smiling and conversing. The man on the left holds a glass, the woman in the middle wears a black dress, and the man on the right wears a red jacket.
Six gold medals with red, white, and blue ribbons are arranged in open black display boxes on a countertop. Behind the medals is a clear glass vase containing several tall green plant stems.
Seven formally dressed people wearing medals stand in a row indoors, posing for a group photo at the History Makers Award Dinner, in front of large windows with natural light streaming in.
A woman wearing a black dress with a medal around her neck stands smiling in front of large illuminated letters spelling HISTORY MAKERS at the History Makers Award Dinner, with numerous blue and gold balloons surrounding the area.
A man in a black suit with a medal around his neck stands beside a woman in a black gown with a white fur stole. Both are smiling and posing indoors at the modern, glass-walled History Makers Award Dinner.
A man in a black tuxedo and a woman in a white blouse with a black skirt stand side by side, smiling and holding wine glasses at the History Makers Award Dinner. Several other guests in formal attire are mingling in the background of the event venue.
A man in a black suit stands at a podium decorated with a sunburst emblem, holding up a medal with a red, white, and blue ribbon. A table in front of him has flowers and glasses. Purple curtains hang in the background.
A man in a suit speaks at a podium during the History Makers Award Dinner; behind him, a large screen displays the text 2023 History Makers along with photos of honorees representing fields such as archaeology, law, business, and health.