Bono and the Edge will accept the 2025 Woody Guthrie Prize on behalf of U2 on Oct. 21 at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa.
The annual award honors artists who embody Woody Guthrie’s social conscience and musical legacy, recognizing work that uses songs to advance fairness and human dignity. U2 joins a roster of honorees that includes Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Pussy Riot and Tom Morello.
The Tulsa event will feature an onstage conversation with Bono and the Edge about the band’s music and activism. It also marks their return to Cain’s Ballroom for the first time since U2’s 1981 stop on The Boy Tour.
Formed in Dublin in 1976, U2 built its career on themes of love, hope, justice and equity threaded through albums like “War” and anthems such as “Pride (In the Name of Love),” “One” and “Walk On.” The band’s members have long leveraged their platform for social impact, earning Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award.
Their efforts include support for (RED) and the ONE Campaign, both co-founded by Bono, and Music Rising, co-founded by the Edge to aid musicians and rebuild instruments. U2 has also co-funded Music Generation, Ireland’s national music education program that expands access to subsidized performance instruction.
