The annual event is scheduled for April 11 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
C&I reader favorites Ed Harris (pictured above) and Michael Martin Murphey are among the notables who will be honored April 11 when the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum celebrates outstanding creative achievement from 2025 at the 65th Western Heritage Awards.
The TV series Dark Winds and Elkhorn also are among the honorees, along with the movie Broke — the acclaimed rodeo drama starring Wyatt Russell — and the documentary The Return of the Sacred Red Rock, directed by Jeremy Charles and produced by Benjamin Arrendondo.
Each year, the museum honors artists and storytellers whose exceptional work in film, television, literature, and music advances and preserves the Western heritage. The awards presentation also includes the induction ceremony for the museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers and Hall of Great Westerners, as well as the presentation for special awards such as the Chester A. Reynolds Award (named after the museum’s founder), the Special Directors’ Award, and the Western Visionary Award.
C&I cover star Ed Harris will be inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers, as will Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Rogers, who is being inducted posthumously.
Country Music Hall of Famer Toby Keith will posthumously receive the Special Directors’ Award, a rare honor bestowed at the discretion of the museum’s board of directors, awarded to recipients who embody a profound commitment to preserving, interpreting, and elevating the spirit of the American West.
Art Nicholas and Luster Bayless will be inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners. Richard Oliver will receive The Chester A. Reynolds Award, and Rex Tillerson will receive the Western Visionary Award.
On April 10, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will host a kick-off party offering the public an exclusive opportunity to mingle with inductees and honorees while enjoying complimentary refreshments and live entertainment. Tickets for the party and the awards ceremony can be ordered on the museum’s website.
Here is a complete list of the 65th Western Heritage Awards.
Western Heritage Awards Creative Achievement Honorees
FILM & TELEVISION HONOREES
Western Lifestyle Program
Break-a-Wave: A Cal Poly Rodeo Documentary, produced by MakeLine Productions
Theatrical Motion Picture
Broke, starring Wyatt Russell, written and directed by Carlyle Eubank
Documentary
The Return of the Sacred Red Rock, directed by Jeremy Charles, produced by Benjamin Arrendondo
Fictional Drama
“T’áá Áłts’íísígo (Just a Small Piece)” from Dark Winds, directed by Steven Paul Judd, produced by AMC Studios
Docudrama
“A Fine Welcome,” from Elkhorn, directed by Michael Ojeda, produced by Morningstar Entertainment
LITERATURE HONOREES
Nonfiction Book
The Undiscovered Country: Triumph, Tragedy, and the Shaping of the American West by Paul Hutton, published by Penguin Random House
Poetry Book
Stories We Didn't Tell, by Anna Citrino, published by Shanti Arts
Juvenile Book
Badger Clark: Poetry Wrangler by Nancy Bo Flood, published by South Dakota Historical Society Press
Magazine Article
“Boley Rides Again: Can the Rodeo Save a Historic Black Town?” by Caleb Gayle, published by The Atlantic
Western Novel
Narrow the Road by James Wade, published by Blackstone Publishing
MUSIC HONOREES
Original Western Composition
“Burnin’ Vein,” recording artist Michael Martin Murphey, composed by Karla K. Morton and Alian Birklebach
Traditional Western Album
The West That Money Couldn’t Buy, recording artist Brenn Hill
Western Heritage Awards Inductees and Special Award Honorees
Hall of Great Western Performers
Ed Harris
Kenny Rogers
Hall of Great Westerners
Arthur Nicholas
Luster Bayless
Chester A. Reynolds Award
Richard Oliver
Special Directors’ Award
Toby Keith
Western Visionary Award
Rex Tillerson
