All-American Icons
Honoring the American Dream
All-American Icon
Award
The All-American Icon Award honors individuals who have pursued the American Dream with extraordinary tenacity — men and women whose work, vision, character, and achievement have lifted them to the highest levels of their field.
Whether in our own time or in generations past, these honorees rose to become symbols of American excellence, perseverance, and possibility. Through their contributions, they have inspired others, enriched American life, and earned a lasting place in the story of their generation.
Their work and legacy continue to resonate today, reminding us of the promise of America and the enduring power of a life dedicated to excellence.
Honorees
Celebrating American Icons
Bob Anderson
World’s Greatest Singing Impressionist
Hailed by People magazine as “America’s Greatest Singing Impressionist,” Bob Anderson has spent five decades as one of the most celebrated entertainers on the Las Vegas Strip. Read more →
A Vietnam veteran from a musical family, Anderson arrived in Las Vegas in his early twenties and was on stage at the famed Sahara within hours. His extraordinary gift for recreating the voices of the world’s greatest singers — most famously Frank Sinatra — has earned standing ovations at Carnegie Hall and performances for two U.S. Presidents and the Royal Family.
He is an inductee of both the Casino Legends Hall of Fame and the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame, was praised by Simon Cowell as the best on the planet, and was summed up by Frank Sinatra himself: “Bob Anderson has a hell of an act.”
Tony Orlando
Legendary Entertainer
Tony Orlando is one of America’s most beloved entertainers — a Grammy-nominated, Hollywood Walk of Fame icon celebrating more than six decades in show business, with five #1 hits and millions of records sold. Read more →
He has sold millions of records, including five #1 hits — “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Ole Oak Tree,” “Knock Three Times,” “Candida,” “My Sweet Gypsy Rose,” and “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)” — plus two platinum and three gold albums and 15 Top 40 hits. “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” was Billboard’s #1 Song of the Year in 1973 and grew into an American anthem of hope, homecoming, and renewal.
The enormously popular Tony Orlando and Dawn variety show ran for four seasons on CBS (1973–1977) — the first television show to feature a multi-racial singing group, with Tony the first and only Latin American to host a network variety series. Tony Orlando and Dawn rank among Billboard’s Top 100 artists of all time.
Few entertainers have excelled in so many realms: recording artist, songwriter, concert headliner, network television star, motion-picture actor, Broadway performer, and author. As VP of CBS’s April-Blackwood Music (1966–1970) he signed and produced Barry Manilow’s first recordings and represented songwriters including James Taylor, Laura Nyro, and Blood, Sweat & Tears alongside the legendary Clive Davis. He first reached the charts in 1961 as the first pop vocalist signed to Epic Records, with “Halfway to Paradise.”
His honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the American Eagle Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Lee Greenwood Patriot Award, induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2023) and the East Coast Music Hall of Fame (2022), two American Music Awards, and the People’s Choice Award for Best Male Entertainer.
A devoted champion of America’s veterans, Tony has performed for troops around the world and for several U.S. Presidents, from Carnegie Hall to the White House, and received the Bob Hope Award for excellence in entertainment from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In 2023 he marked the 50th anniversary of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” and the return of America’s Vietnam POWs — whom he first honored at Bob Hope’s invitation at the 1973 Cotton Bowl — and for two decades welcomed some 175,000 veterans each year to his Yellow Ribbon Music Theatre in Branson, Missouri.
For 33 years he co-hosted the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon alongside Jerry Lewis, and today hosts “Saturday Nights with Tony Orlando” on 77WABC Music Radio, streaming worldwide. Tony and his wife, Francine, are the parents of Jenny and Jon.
More Major Announcements Coming Soon
What Makes an All-American Icon?
Recipients are chosen based on the following criteria:
Pursuit of the American Dream — Built their success from determination, drive, and the willingness to bet on themselves.
Mastery of Field — Reached the highest levels of their profession.
Impact — Helped define their generation and/or field of pursuit. Their work changed what was possible.
Part of American Life — Their name, their work, their story has become woven into the national identity itself.
Inspiring Greatness — Inspire the next generation of Americans to dream bigger, work harder, and pursue their version of the American dream.
Nominations Now Open
Nominate an All-American Icon
We are now accepting nominations for the inaugural 2026 All-American Icon Awards. Do you know someone whose pursuit of the American Dream has lifted them to the highest levels of their field?
We invite you to submit their name for consideration. Nominees can come from any field — what matters is the height to which they rose, the impact they made, and the way their story exemplifies the American dream.
To submit a nomination, please include:
- ★ Nominee’s full name and location
- ★ Their field of achievement
- ★ A brief description of their body of work and accomplishments (250 words or less)
- ★ Why you believe they exemplify the spirit of an All-American Icon
- ★ Your name and contact information
Nominations will be reviewed by our Awards Committee. All submissions are confidential.