The Heinz Family Foundation in Pittsburgh has announced the winners of the 27th annual Heinz Awards.

Established in 1993 to honor the memory of Sen. John Heinz (R-PA), who was killed in a plane crash in 1991, the awards recognize extraordinary individuals for their achievement in finding solutions to critical issues in areas that were important to Heinz: the arts, the economy, and the environment. The award includes an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000.

This year’s winners in the arts category are Vanessa L. German, a visual artist and founder of ARThouse—whose assemblage sculptures, installations, spoken word poetry, and community-based work confront racism, violence, homophobia, and hate, while expressing hope for healing—and Cauleen Smith, an interdisciplinary artist and educator whose experimental films, installations, and multimedia works reflect on history and imagine futures of possibility. In the environment category, the recipients are Rhett Ayers Butler, founder and CEO of Mongabay.org, a global nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform, and Anne C. Evens, CEO of Elevate, which works to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean and affordable heat, power, and water in their homes and communities and champions energy efficiency improvements.

And in the economy category, the winners are Chrystel A. Cornelius, president and CEO of Oweesta Corporation, which works to return wealth and financial independence to Native lands and people, addressing centuries of disenfranchisement that have led to profound socioeconomic disparities for Native communities, and Hilary A. Abell and Alison Lingane, co-founders of Project Equity, a movement to create better jobs and a fairer economy by advancing employee ownership.

“At a time when our world is fraught with rancor and division, where the loudest and most provocative voices vie for the world’s attention, the recipients of the 2022 Heinz Awards are applying their gifts, knowledge, and experience to achieve critical, life-changing impacts in our communities and a more just and equitable future for all,” said Heinz Family Foundation chair Teresa Heinz. “This year’s recipients are engaging the arts as a tool for healing. They are opening doors to economic opportunity and empowering Native communities throughout the country. They are working to end crushing energy burdens on vulnerable families, and they are truth tellers, bringing to light actions that are destroying our fragile ecosystems. We honor them for their courage and resilience, and for the example they set in showing us what individuals can achieve for the betterment of our world.”