20 Iconic Award Show Speeches That Will Inspire You

First-time nominee Lupita Nyong'o won best supporting actress for 12 Years a Slave at the 2014 ceremony, but it was her acceptance speech that soared above the rest of the evening's stars. After the usual thank-yous to her costars, family, friends, and teachers, as well as a moving tribute to the real-life slaves whose stories inspired the film, she ended with a statement of encouragement that was all the more inspiring for its pure simplicity:

"When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid."

It's not always the big names that have the best speeches. In 2010, prolific composer Michael Giacchino won his first Oscar for the score of Up, and he used his speech to thank the people in his life who encouraged him to pursue his passion and to send that same message to any kids watching:

"Never once in my life did my parents ever say, 'What you're doing is a waste of time.' Never. And I grew up; I had teachers, I had colleagues, I had people that I worked with all through my life who always told me, 'What you're doing is not a waste of time.' So that was normal to me that it was OK to do that. I know there are kids out there that don't have that support system, so if you're out there and you're listening, listen to me: if you want to be creative, get out there and do it; it's not a waste of time. Do it. OK?"

On an evening filled with big stars, the 2015 Oscar ceremony's most buzzed-about moment came from someone who most viewers had probably never heard of before. Graham Moore, the young screenwriter who won best adapted screenplay for The Imitation Game, took the podium for a heartfelt, deeply personal speech that turned into the night's favorite quote, taking his own experience with suicidal thoughts and turning it into a message of hope and love:

"When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I'm standing here, and so I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she's weird or she's different or she doesn't fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do. You do. Stay weird, stay different. And then when it's your turn and you're standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along."

In a year rife with discussions about gender politics in Hollywood and elsewhere, leave it to the always wonderfully quirky Frances McDormand to put a hilarious, blunt spin on it. After winning best actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, McDormand asked every other female nominee in every category to stand up and proceeded to point out the simple answer to parity:

"Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed. Don't talk to us about it at the parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days, or you can come to ours, whatever suits you best, and we'll tell you all about them. I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: 'inclusion rider.'"

As the first black actress to win best actress in a drama series, Viola Davis took her win (for How to Get Away With Murder) with all the historical weight it deserved. Her acceptance speech began by quoting Harriet Tubman and ended with an elegant insistence on the need for more diverse opportunities and a recognition of the women who had worked alongside her:

"'In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can't seem to get there no how. I can't seem to get over that line.' That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s.

"And let me tell you something. The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there. So here's to all the writers, the awesome people . . . Shonda Rhimes. People who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman. To be black. And to the Taraji P. Hensons, the Kerry Washingtons, the Halle Berrys, the Nicole Beharies, the Meagan Goods. To Gabrielle Union. Thank you for taking us over that line."

It seemed nearly impossible that Henry Winkler, a decades-long TV icon, had never won an Emmy award. And yet, his win for best supporting actor in a comedy for Barry was indeed his first ever. His speech was a charming mix of surprise, self-deprecation, and genuine gratitude, complete with a funny, clever metaphor.

"I only have 37 seconds. I wrote this 43 years ago," Winkler began his speech. "Can I just say, Skip Brittenham said to me a long time ago, 'If you stay at the table long enough, the chips come to you.' And tonight I got to clear the table!"

Lena Waithe, the first black woman to win the comedy writing award at the Emmys, made a speech both specific (she gave a shout-out to her "LGBTQIA family") and overarching. It was her powerful words of encouragement, though, that echoed the most:

"The things that make us different, those are our superpowers. Every day, when you walk out the door, put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world — because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren't in it."

Cate Blanchett won best actress for Blue Jasmine in a year when the field was particularly stacked with incredible performances. To kick off her acceptance speech, Blanchett touched on a note of unity, sounding like all of us as she praised the other nominees in her category.

"As random and as subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of extraordinary — yet again — extraordinary performances by women. Amy Adams, everything you do, but your performance in American Hustle blew my mind. And Meryl, what can I say? Sandra, I could watch that performance to the end of time, and I sort of felt like I had. Julia, #suckit. You know what I mean? And Judi Dench, I mean, what a career. She's not here tonight because at the age of 79, her film was so successful that she's in India doing a sequel. I mean, what a career that is; if I could hope."

After so many years of not winning an Oscar that he'd become a punchline, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home the trophy for best actor for The Revenant. As anyone who's been following his career might have expected, his speech was a combination of grateful acknowledgements and bringing awareness to environmental work. But it was the last few lines that brought it all together:

"I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted."

Most expected the 2016 Tonys ceremony to be a coronation for the runaway phenomenon Hamilton and its creators and stars. But in the early morning, only hours before the show, the Pulse nightclub shooting took 49 lives in Orlando in the deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in history (and, at the time, the deadliest mass shooting in American history). The Broadway community, with its longtime closeness to the LGBTQ+ community, pivoted the ceremony to address the grief while celebrating art, and nowhere was this more evident than in the final lines of Lin-Manuel Miranda's sonnet as acceptance speech for best score:

"When senseless acts of tragedy remind us

"that nothing here is promised, not one day.

"This show is proof that history remembers.

"We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger.

"We rise and fall and light from dying embers.

"Remembrances that hope and love live longer.

"And love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside."

The cast of Hamilton dominated the 2016 Tonys, taking home a total of 11 awards. One of those was for best featured actress in a musical, which went to Renée Elise Goldsberry, a first-time nominee. Her acceptance speech was an emotional testament to working mothers everywhere:

"I have spent the last 10 years of my life — what some would consider the lifeblood of a woman's career — just trying to have children. And I get to testify in front of all of you that the Lord gave me Benjamin and Brielle, and He still gave me this!"

When Hollywood stars win Tony Awards, the sheer fact of their celebrity status tends to become the main headline. Not so when Andrew Garfield won featured actor in a play for his work in the revival of Angels in America. Garfield's speech was an eloquently worded tribute to the LGBTQ+ community (the play is about the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ+ characters) and the need to stand up to bigotry.

"At a moment in time where maybe the most important thing we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in Angels in America, because he represents the purest spirit of humanity and especially that of the LGBTQ community. It is a spirit that says no to oppression; it is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly and we all belong . . .

"We are all sacred and we all belong, so let's just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked."

During his acceptance speech for album of the year, Bruno Mars emphasized the possibilities of how music can bring people together — something he says he strives for in his own music:

"I remember seeing it firsthand: people dancing that had never met each other from two sides of the globe, dancing with each other. All I wanted to do with this album was that. Those songs are written with nothing but joy and for one reason and one reason only, and that's love."

Alessia Cara took home the prize for best new artist at the 2018 ceremony. After the usual thank-yous and acknowledgements, Cara broke with tradition and highlighted the "popularity contest" nature of a lot of awards to shed a light on the lesser-known artists who work just as hard and produce excellent music too:

"There are some incredible artists out there that are making incredible music that deserve to be acknowledged that don't always get acknowledged because of popularity contests or numbers games, and that's kind of unfortunate. I just want to encourage everyone to support real music and real artists because everyone deserves the same shot."

When Queen Bey won the Grammy for best urban contemporary album for Lemonade, she first thanked her family and her fans. But then she turned her speech into something both political and incredibly personal as she spoke to the need for more diversity and positive depictions for children of all backgrounds to look up to:

"We all experience pain and loss, and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness, and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable.

"It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families — as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys — and see themselves and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent, and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it's vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes."

Janelle Monáe wasn't making an acceptance speech but rather introducing a performance by Kesha. The introduction started out as a strong call-out in sync with the #TimesUp movement, but it soon turned into a call for working together to create a better future.

"Just as we have the power to shape culture, we also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well. So, let's work together, women and men, as a united music industry committed to creating more safe work environments, equal pay, and access for all women."

The broadcasting legend was recognized with the Cecil B. DeMille special award at the 2018 ceremony. Over the course of her speech, she recognized the tribulations of generations past and the contributions of the press to uncovering the truth. After telling the story of Recy Taylor, a black woman who was brutalized by a gang of white men who were never prosecuted, Winfrey expressed hope that the future might be a little bit better and brighter.

"In my career, what I've always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave. To say how we experience shame, how we love and how we rage, how we fail, how we retreat, persevere, and how we overcome. I've interviewed and portrayed people who've withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights.

"So I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say 'Me too' again."

Like many others, Nicole Kidman's speech at the 2018 ceremony included a call to action to put an end to abuses in Hollywood. After thanking her friends, family, and colleagues, Kidman pointed out the generations of women who have been fighting this fight, followed by a comment on the possibilities of art to elicit change:

"I do believe, and I hope, we can elicit change through the stories we tell and the way we tell them. Let's keep the conversation alive."

Gina Rodriguez won the award for best actress in a television comedy for Jane the Virgin, and her acceptance speech was every bit as heartfelt and honest as the character she plays. In particular, she thanked her family for encouraging her and ended with a quote that had us all emotional:

"Thank you to my mom and my dad for telling me to dream big and to never stop dreaming. To my siblings, my sisters, Ivelisse and Rebecca, for being the biggest role models in my life . . .

"This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning that 'Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.' Well, Dad, today's a great day. I can and I did!"