Commonly Known as “America’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.”
The ceremony will also stream on PBS.org and the PBS app, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
2026 Honorees: The People of Minnesota (Humanitarian Award), Oscar D’León (Legend Award), Mon Laferte (Social Justice Award), Eladio Carrión (Inspira Award), and Ximena Sariñana (Music Award)
– Special Headline Music Performance By Previous Legend Honorees Los Tigres Del Norte –
“The Hispanic Heritage Awards took place outside of Washington, D.C., for the first time ever with a ceremony hosted in Minnesota…The annual celebration honors the contributions and accomplishments of Latinos in the United States and Latin America. Rita Moreno, Gloria Estefan and Bad Bunny are among big figures to have received Hispanic Heritage Awards in the past. The final honor of the night — the humanitarian award — went to the people of Minnesota. Over 30 Minnesotans took the stage to receive the award, reflecting a range of organizations, businesses and other entities that actively supported people during the federal immigration surge” – Minnesota Public Radio (NPR)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) and PBS announced that the 39th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards will air nationwide on Friday, October 2nd at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The awards, taped for broadcast on Thursday, September 10 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, MN, will also stream on PBS.org and the PBS app in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
This year’s Hispanic Heritage Awards honors The People of Minnesota with the Humanitarian Award in recognition of their collective strength, resilience, compassion, and courageous action in times of crisis, and their commitment to fostering unity among all communities. Additional honorees include singer/musician Oscar D’León (Legend Award), along with singer-songwriter Mon Laferte (Social Justice Award), rapper Eladio Carrión (Inspira Award), and singer-songwriter-actress Ximena Sariñana (Music Award) – with all three artists performing on the broadcast. The ceremony is hosted by celebrated stand-up comedian and entertainer Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, and also features a very special return from seven-time GRAMMY winners & previous HHA Legend Award honorees Los Tigres Del Norte as the headline performers.
“Earlier this year…Peaceful, hard-working communities of immigrants and refugees found themselves in fearful chaos as more than 4,000 parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, and families were taken by force – US Citizens among them… But in the midst of that made-made calamity, the People of Minnesota showed the rest of the world the best of America. Minnesotans showed us how to lead through love [and] unite across differences and commonalities. We are here to celebrate and learn how communities can come together to protect and uplift one another… We can be united by our shared humanity and our common demand for dignity and safety for ourselves, our families and yes, our neighbors… Hoy, todos somos vecinos. Please give a round of applause for our 2026 Humanitarian Award honorees – the People of Minnesota!”- Los Tigres del Norte
“We are privileged and grateful to once again partner with PBS and all of our sponsors to celebrate and share our community’s accomplishments, cultural pride, and great promise to America and the world,” said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “The PBS broadcast and streaming will ensure our inspiring stories will be seen broadly to foment a greater understanding and appreciation of the Latino community.”
“Every year, the Hispanic Heritage Awards reminds us how much strength lives in community,” said Zara Frankel, Senior Director, Programming & Development.. “PBS is honored to partner with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to celebrate honorees who remind us what’s possible when communities show up for each other.”
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“Receiving this Legend Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation is an immense honor and a profound joy. Music has been my home, my teacher, and my companion. It taught me that, with discipline, humility, and passion, dreams can transform our history. This recognition also belongs to my family, my musicians, all the professionals who have walked alongside me, and especially to the public who have accompanied me for so many years. I receive it on behalf of my beloved Venezuela, which is currently going through a difficult time, but we must be strong. So, from here, I send my warmest greetings to my dear Venezuela and to our Hispanic community: hardworking, courageous, creative, and full of talent.”– Oscar D’Leon
“I want to thank the Hispanic Heritage Awards and all the collaborators who make this wonderful event possible! Thank you so much, I feel very honored but also feel a great responsibility. I want to mention all the people I work and collaborate with in my art, but also the many people behind the scenes who are truly activists and dedicate their lives to social work… I [also] wanted to talk about dignity, love, immigrants, and feminism… Dignity begins in recognizing the value of another person without demanding that they think like us, that they live like us. I love people with their contradictions, their quirks, their desires, their mistakes, and their ways of loving. I deeply respect the beauty of that complexity… And I simply want to tell each one of you here tonight that I will continue fighting… through my work and commitment, with what drives me. I love you, Thank you very much.” – Mon Laferte
“I am incredibly honored to receive this recognition… I grew up between Los Angeles, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, and for a long time, I built my identity around my family, my ideas, my values, and, above all, my love for music. It wasn’t until I started touring this beautiful country that I truly understood the identity that comes with being Hispanic. I discovered how, through a shared culture, a song, a language, a joke, a dish, a hug, or a smile can make two strangers feel like family. That reminded me of all the times music has connected me with people very different from me and how those encounters have made me a better person and a better artist. We live in a world that seems to be increasingly divided. In the midst of a global political situation that seeks to antagonize us because of the color of our skin, our beliefs, our country of origin, or whom we choose to love, celebrating our identity and our cultural heritage becomes more important than ever.” – Ximena Sariñana
“Something very important: besides music, we’re always looking for ways to support, to contribute, to make the Latino community bigger. And with that said, I just want to let you know; you don’t need money, you don’t need to be a millionaire to contribute to your community, you can achieve great things with small things. There are many people who say, ‘I’d like to help, but I don’t have the money right now.’ No, no, no, all it takes is a little effort, desire, and little by little, the beach fills with sand. So many blessings to my family, God bless you abundantly, strength to all my Latinos, always keep your heads held high. I can’t promise you that tomorrow will be spectacular, but I can promise you that the sun always rises. Remember that: If you can dream it, you can do it! Blessings!” – Eladio Carrión
The Hispanic Heritage Awards were established by the White House in 1988 to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month in America and are recognized as “America’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration” and supported by more than 40 national, Latino-serving institutions.
Past Awardees have included: Rita Moreno, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Gloria Estefan, Bad Bunny, Celia Cruz, Martin Sheen, Tito Puente, Ricky Martin, Anthony Quinn, Fania All-Stars, Junot Diaz, José Feliciano, Isabel Allende, Carolina Herrera, Jose Andres, Juanes, Antonio Banderas, Juan Luis Guerra, Carlos Vives, Alejandro Sanz, J Balvin, Zoe Saldaña, Los Tigres Del Norte, Oscar de la Hoya, America Ferrera, Pedro Martinez, Daddy Yankee, Astronaut Dr. Ellen Ochoa, Gael Garcia Bernal, Carlos Santana, Salma Hayek, Linda Ronstadt, Karol G, Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon, and more inspiring figures ranging from essential farmworkers to pioneering NASA engineers. Find all past HHA Honorees HERE.
About the Hispanic Heritage Awards
The Hispanic Heritage Awards serve as a launch of HHF’s year-round mission, focused on economic mobility, stronger communities, positive narratives and cultural pride through education, workforce development, service, societal impact, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Visit https://hhflink.org/WeAreHere for a video highlighting HHF’s award winning programs, and visit the website at www.HispanicHeritage.org. Follow HHF on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok. Listen to the HHF podcast Fritanga on your favorite streaming service and HHF YouTube channel.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.
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For more information on the 39th Hispanic Heritage Awards, please contact John Reilly, [email protected] or Nicolás Peña, [email protected]
For Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Jessica Herrera [email protected]
