The Doris Duke Foundation has revealed the recipients of the 2025 Doris Duke Artist Awards (DDAA). Included among the honorees is Broadway choreographer Raja Feather Kelly.
The DDAA winners each receive $525,000 in unrestricted funds (allocated over seven years). This represents the largest monetary prize in the United States strictly dedicated to individual performing artists.
Kelly choreographed 2022 Best Musical Tony Award winner “A Strange Loop” as well as 2024’s “Lempicka.” Beyond the Main Stem, Kelly choreographed Off-Broadway mountings of “Fairview,” “Suffs” and “We’re Gonna Die.” Kelly is the artistic director of dance company the Feath3r Theory and held the same title for the New Brooklyn Theater prior to its merge with Feath3r in 2019.
In addition to Kelly, the 2025 DDAA recipients comprise dancer and choreographer Trajal Harrell; playwright, director, performer and translator Aya Ogawa; Grammy Award-nominated musician, emcee, singer, producer and drummer Kassa Overall; theater, opera and film artists Kaneza Schaal; and Grammy-nominated harpist Brandee Younger.
Named for philanthropist Doris Duke, who was heir to the American Tobacco Company, the Foundation aims to “build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future by investing in artists and the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research, child well-being and greater mutual understanding among diverse communities.” Since its founding, the DDAA has awarded nearly 150 artists with more than $40 million.
