Paul Simon – Major Awards

Année / Year

Récompense / Award

Catégorie / Category

Oeuvre / Work

Nominations

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male :There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Album)

Album Of The Year :There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Album)

28 february 1976

18th annual Grammy Award

Nominations

Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus

My Little Town

Wins

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male

Still Crazy After All These Years

Album Of The Year

Still Crazy After All These Years

Still Crazy After All These Years

1976

Primetime Emmy Awards

Won

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special / Meilleur scénario pour une émission spéciale de variétés

The Paul Simon Special

Nominations

Record Of The Year : 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Single)

Nominations

Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special : One Trick Pony (Album)

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male : Late In The Evening (Single)

Nominations

Video Of The Year : Paul Simon (Video)

24 feb 1987

29th annual Grammy Award

Nominations

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical) : Producer Of The Year

Song Of The Year : Graceland

Wins

Graceland

09 feb 1987

BRIT Awards

(BPI awards)

Won

International Solo Artist / Artiste solo international

Paul Simon

1987

MTV Video Music Awards

Nominated  

Best Male Video, Video of the Year, Most Experimental Video, / Meilleur clip masculin, etc.

You Can Call Me Al

The Boy in the Bubble

02 March 1988

29th annual Grammy Awards

Wins

Record Of The Year : Graceland

Graceland (titre)

1988

American Music Awards

Won

Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist

Paul Simon

1988

American Music Awards

Won

Favorite Pop/Rock Album

Graceland

1991

BRIT Awards

Nominated

International Male Solo Artist / Artiste masculin international

Paul Simon

Nominations

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical) : Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical) (Album)

Album Of The Year : The Rhythm Of The Saints (Album)

Won

Johnny Mercer Award

Paul Simon their top honor, given to songwriters who have already been inducted

and have had an especially outstanding, influential career.

Nominations

Album Of The Year : You're The One (Album)

2001

16th Annual Rock and Roll Hall

Inducted

Induction as solo artist / Intronisation comme artiste solo

Paul Simon performing at the 16th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of fame Induction Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Monday, March 19, 2001. He was inducted into the Hall as a solo artist during the show

Paul Simon

Marc Anthony inducts Paul Simon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist at the

16th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of fame

Paul Simon with Rolling Stone Publisher Jann Wenner and Marc Anthony

Paul Simon, inductee, performs with Dion DiMucci

19 feb 2001

MusiCares

Honored

Person of the Year

Paul Simon

2002

Kennedy Center Honors

Honored

Lifetime artistic achievement / Hommage pour l'ensemble de la carriére

Paul Simon

2002

Academy Awards (Oscars)

Nominated

Best Original Song / Meilleure chanson originale

Father and Daughter (The Wild Thornberrys Movie)

2002

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated

Best Original Song / Meilleure chanson originale

Father and Daughter

2002

Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Nominated

Best Song / Meilleure chanson

Father and Daughter

17 may 2005

BMI Pop Awards

Honored

BMI Pop Icon Award / Prix d'icone pop BMI our l’ensemble de son catalogue (avec mention spéciale de “Bridge over Troubled Water”, “Mrs. Robinson”, “Scarborough Fair”, “The Sound of Silence”, etc.)

Paul Simon

Honored

Montréal Jazz Festival Spirit Award

Paul Simon

2006

Time magazine

Listed

100 People Who Shaped the World / 100 personnalités qui ont façonné le monde

Categorie : Heroes & Pioneers

Paul Simon

Honored

We Are Family Foundation

5th Annual Celebration

Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award Honoree

Paul Simon

23 may 2007

Library of Congress

First recipient

Gershwin Prize for Popular Song / Prix Gershwin pour la chanson populaire

Paul Simon

I am grateful to be the recipient of the Gershwin Prize and doubly honored to be the first. I look forward to spending an evening in the company of artists I admire at the award ceremony in May. I can think of a few who have expressed my words and music far better than I. I’m excited at the prospect of that happening again. It’s a songwriter’s dream come true.
—Paul Simon

Honored

National Design Awards

Paul Simon attends National Design Awards at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

Honoree Paul Simon attends the 41st Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony at The New York Marriott Marquis

2011

Rolling Stone

Ranked

100 Greatest Guitarists (93) / 100 plus grands guitaristes (93iéme)

1 : Jimi Hendrix

2 : Eric Clapton

3 : Jimmy Page

Paul Simon

28 aug 2012

Polar Music Prize

Laureate

Polar Music Prize / Prix Polar de musique

Award & Year
Paul Simon was one of the laureates of the 2012 Polar Music Prize, a prestigious international music award from Sweden recognizing exceptional achievements in music.

Why He Was Honored
The Polar Music Prize jury cited Simon as a “world-class songwriter” whose career spans five decades and whose music — with innovative arrangements and provocative lyrics — has influenced generations and “built bridges … over entire oceans,” creating a body of work that will endure for future generations.

Prize Details

• Simon shared the 2012 award with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as is traditional (the prize typically honors one contemporary and one classical musician each year).
• Each laureate received 1 million Swedish kronor and the honor of a formal ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, where they were presented the award by King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Ceremony Highlights
The prize ceremony took place on 28 August 2012 at the Stockholm Concert Hall, followed by a banquet at the Grand Hôtel. The event included performances of Simon’s music by various artists and was a celebration of his musical legacy.

Paul Simon begins his speech with humility and gentle humor, expressing how deeply honored—and somewhat astonished—he is to receive such a prestigious award. He emphasizes that music is never created in isolation.

He pays tribute to his musical influences, particularly American traditions such as folk, gospel, and rhythm & blues, as well as global musical cultures, especially African and Latin music, which have strongly shaped his work.

Simon highlights the importance of collaboration, explaining that many of his most meaningful works emerged from encounters with other musicians, cultures, and ideas. He describes music as a universal language that transcends borders, politics, and cultural differences.

He also expresses sincere gratitude to the audience, noting that songs truly come alive only when they are heard, shared, and embraced by listeners.

He concludes on a thoughtful and modest note, reflecting on music as both a mystery and a gift, and describes himself simply as a fortunate craftsman who has been able to devote his life to making music.

Paul Simon

2015

Rolling Stone

Ranked

100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time / 100 plus grands auteurs-compositeurs

1 : Bob Dylan

2 : Paul McCartney

3 : John Lennon

8 : Paul Simon

Paul Simon (8)

Honored

This medal recognizes "lifetime contributions embodying American ideas and ideals"

Washington DC

Honored

8 Highlights From "Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon": Garth Brooks' & Trisha Yearwood's Charming Duet, Stevie Wonder' & Ledisi's Heartwarming Performance & More

Paul Simon

2023

Rolling Stone

Listed

250 Greatest Guitarists (246) / 250 plus grands guitaristes (246iéme)

1 : Jimi Hendrix

2 : Chuck Berry

3 : Jimmy Page

Paul Simon

Paul Simon, the great wordsmith, speaks as vividly through his guitar as his lyrics. Weaned on early doo-wop and rock & roll, Simon got caught up in the folk revival during the mid-Sixties, traveling to England to study the acoustic mastery of Bert Jansch. He has continued absorbing new influences, as on “Dazzling Blue,” off his most recent album, So Beautiful or So What: “All that folk fingerpicking is what I did with Simon and Garfunkel, but [here] it’s on top of this rhythm with Indian musicians playing in 12/8.” In his 80s, he’s still as nimble as ever, as he demonstrated on his 2023 album Seven Psalms.–W.H.

66th annual Grammy Awards

Nominations

Best Folk Album : Seven Psalms

Honored

Bass Concert Hall

Paul Simon is now an honorary Texan

Following the second show of a three-night engagement at Bass Concert Hall in Austin (10 april), the Texas Music Office’s Graham Weber, Gini Mascorro, and Stephen Ray presented Mr. Simon with an official letter from The State of Texas, which had previously been signed by Governor Greg Abbott, pronouncing the iconic musician an Honorary Texan. The TMO staff also presented Mr. Simon with a Texas flag that was flown in his honor over the Capitol on April 8th.