Bruce Springsteen has won the 2021 Woody Guthrie Prize in recognition of his “lifetime of speaking for the disenfranchised and inspiring generations to find the power of their own voices.”

The Woody Guthrie Center announced that the music legend will be presented with the Woody Guthrie Prize in a members-only exclusive virtual event on May 13.

Responding to the news, Springsteen said he is honored to receive the 2021 Woody Guthrie Prize.

“Woody wrote some of the greatest songs about America’s struggle to live up its ideals in convincing fashion,” he added. “He is one of my most important influences and inspirations.”

“As an observer of the human condition and a reporter about the plight of common people, Bruce Springsteen is a true child of Woody Guthrie,” said Woody Guthrie Center Director Deana McCloud.

The Woody Guthrie Prize is given to an artist of any medium who continues in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie.

“Springsteen has been at the forefront his whole career, connected to the traditions of Guthrie that he continues to exude today,” the Woody Guthrie Center said in a statement.

Past recipients of the award include Joan Baez, Chuck D, John Mellencamp, Norman Lear, Kris Kristofferson, Mavis Staples, and Pete Seeger.

(Photo: Danny Clinch)

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