Bruce Springsteen will receive the 2026 Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, an honor that was established by the late Paula Weinstein, Tribeca’s former Chief Content Officer, acclaimed producer, and lifelong activist. Named for Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer, actor, and civil rights leader who fused artistry with activism, the award recognizes artists who don’t just speak out, but actively use their platform to advance equality, dignity, and human rights. There are few figures who embody that mission more completely than Bruce Springsteen.

The evening will bring together an extraordinary circle of artists and activists highlighted by a conversation between Springsteen and his longtime friend and fellow activist Bono. Robert De Niro and Patti Smith will also join to pay tribute to a legacy defined not just by artistry, but by action.

Lauded by Rolling Stone as “the embodiment of rock & roll,” with more than 140 million records sold around the globe and more than 70 million in the United States, Bruce Springsteen is one of the world’s best-selling artists. Long recognized as an incomparable live performer, he has won 20 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a Special Tony Award. In 1999, Springsteen was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2013 he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award, by President Barack Obama in 2016. In 2023, Springsteen was honored by President Joe Biden at the White House with the 2021 National Medal of Arts. Photo credit Danny Clinch.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Bono has been headlining stadiums as lead singer of U2 for over four decades. The band has sold over 175 million records and won 22 Grammys. A longtime activist in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty, Bono is the co-founder of ONE and (RED). He is also the author of the memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Photo credit Olaf Heine.