Each year at the Vandalia Gathering, West Virginia’s highest folklife honor – the Vandalia Award – is presented in a ceremony on the stage of the Cultural Center theater. The individuals who receive this award embody the spirit of our state’s folk heritage and are recognized for their lifetime contribution to West Virginia and its traditional culture.

Melvin Wine, 1981
Ira Mullins, 1982
Woody Simmons, 1983
Aunt Jenny Wilson, 1984
Mike Humphreys, 1985
Russell Fluharty, 1986
Phoeba Parsons, 1987
Ernie Carpenter, 1988
Sylvia O’Brien, 1989
Bonnie Collins, 1990
Andy Boarman, 1991
Wilson Douglas, 1992
Jane George, 1993
Frank George, 1994
Nat Reese, 1995
Elmer Bird, 1996
Lefty Shafer, 1997
Glen Smith, 1998
Rush and Ruby Butcher, 1999
Brooks Smith, 2000
Norman Fagan, 2001
Bob Kessinger, 2002
Mack Samples, 2003
Carl Rutherford, 2004
Lester McCumbers, 2005
Ethel Caffie-Austin, 2006
Patty Looman, 2007
Lou Maiuri, 2008
Everett Lilly, 2009
Bobby Taylor, 2010
Buddy Griffin, 2011
The Bing Brothers, 2012
Gerald Milnes, 2013
Roger Bryant, 2014
Ken Sullivan, 2015
Joni Hoffman, 2016
Jim Good, 2017
Bil Lepp, 2018
Dwight Diller, 2019
Sen. Dr. Ron Stollings, 2020
WI “Bill” Hairson, 2020
Patricia Cowdery, 2021
Augusta Heritage Center, 2021
Mountain Stage, 2022
Goldenseal, 2022