A Plain Guide to Entertainment Awards

The Academy Awards, first given in 1929, honor film. The Grammys, from 1959, honor recorded music. The Tonys, from 1947, honor Broadway.

The Emmys, from 1949, honor television. Winning all four is called an EGOT, a term popularized in the 1980s, and only a small group of performers has completed it, including Whoopi Goldberg in 2002 and Elton John in 2024. Katharine Hepburn holds the record with four Best Actress Oscars, and Daniel Day-Lewis is the only actor with three Best Actor wins.

Career honors such as the Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize recognize lifetime contribution..