ANNUAL AWARDS
Each year, CSPC hosts an awards dinner honoring leading public servants and changemakers of character and integrity. CSPC gives one of four awards: the Publius Award, for leadership and bipartisanship in government; the Eisenhower Award, for leadership in national security affairs; the Hamilton Award, for economic or fiscal leadership; and the Thurgood Marshall Award, for champions of equality and justice.
2026 Award Recipients: Representative Don Bacon and Representative Salud Carbajal
2026 Publius Award Recipients Representative Don Bacon (center) and Representative Salud Carbajal (right).
At our recent annual Awards Dinner, the Center proudly hosted our 57th Annual Awards Dinner, honoring Representatives Don Bacon and Salud Carbajal with our Publius Award for their exemplary service and remarkable partnership across party lines. Their shared commitment to advancing U.S. national security interests, supporting the nation’s veterans, and strengthening alliances abroad reflects the very spirit of “Publius,” grounded in deliberation, compromise, and a belief in effective governance.
We were joined in celebration by members of the diplomatic community, business leaders, current and former government officials, and our own Presidential Fellows, whose presence made the evening all the more meaningful.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, moments like this serve as a powerful reminder that principled leadership and bipartisan collaboration are not only possible, but essential to the country’s future.
Past Awardees
2024 Awardees Rep. Jim Himes and Rep. Michael Turner
2025: Publius Award
Senator Todd Young (R-IN)
Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA)
2024: Publius Award
Representative Michael Turner (R-OH)
Representative Jim Himes (D-CT)
2023: Eisenhower Award
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
2022: Publius Award
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Senator Angus King (I-ME)
2023 Awardee Rep. Mike Gallagher with Presidential Fellows
2020: Thurgood Marshall Award
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Representative John Lewis (D-GA)
2019: Eisenhower Award
Gwynne Shotwell (President and COO of SpaceX)
Heather Wilson (President of the University of Texas at El Paso and former Secretary of the Air Force)
2018: Publius Award
Governor John Hickenlooper (CO)
Governor John Kasich (OH)
2022 Awardee Senator Murkoswki with Presidential Fellows
2017: Publius Award
Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
2016: Eisenhower Award
Ashton Carter (U.S. Secretary of Defense)
2015: Publius Award
Governor Terry McAuliffe (VA)
Governor Rick Snyder (MI)
2014: Publius Award
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL)