The Western Heritage Award, also known as The Bronze Wrangler, is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in music, film, television, and literature that put forward a vision of the American West.
The Western Heritage Awards were first presented in 1961. Many works are in the Western genre. The Wrangler is a bronze sculpture of a cattle wrangler on horseback, and is designed by artist John Free.
The awards program also recognizes inductees into the prestigious Hall of Great Westerners and the Hall of Great Western Performers as well as the recipient of the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award, named in honor of the Museum's founder.
Award categories
Film and television Theatrical Motion Picture Year Film Creators(s) Publisher(s) Ref.1961 The Alamo John Wayne (director), James Edward Grant (screenplay) Batjac/United Artists 1962 The Comancheros Michael Curtiz (director), James Edward Grant (screenplay), Clair Huffaker (screenplay), Paul I. Wellman (original novel) 20th Century Fox 1963 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance John Ford (director), James Warner Bellah (screenplay), Dorothy M. Johnson (original short story) Paramount Pictures 1964 How the West Was Won John Ford (director), James R. Webb (screenplay) Cinerama/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1965 Cheyenne Autumn John Ford (director), James R. Webb (screenplay), Mari Sandoz (original story) Warner Bros. 1966 The Sons of Katie Elder Henry Hathaway (director), William H. Wright (screenplay), Allan Weiss (screenplay), Harry Essex (screenplay), Talbot Jennings (original story) Hal B. Wallis/Paramount Pictures 1967 The Appaloosa Sidney J. Furie (director), James Bridges (screenplay), Roland Kibbee (screenplay), Robert MacLeod (original novel) Universal Pictures 1968 The War Wagon Burt Kennedy (director, screenplay), Clair Huffaker (screenplay, original novel) Universal Pictures 1969 Will Penny Tom Gries (director, screenplay) Paramount Pictures 1970 True Grit Henry Hathaway (director), Marguerite Roberts (screenplay), Charles Portis (original novel) Hal B. Wallis/Paramount Pictures 1971 A Man Called Horse Elliot Silverstein (director), Jack DeWitt (screenplay), Dorothy M. Johnson (original short story) Cinema Center Films/National General Pictures 1972 The Cowboys Mark Rydell (director), Irving Ravetch (screenplay), Harriet Frank Jr. (screenplay), William Dale Jennings (original novel) Warner Bros. 1973 Jeremiah Johnson Sydney Pollack (director), John Milius (screenplay), Edward Anhalt (screenplay), Raymond W. Thorp (story), Robert Bunker (story) Warner Bros. 1974 The New Land Jan Troell (director, screenplay), Bengt Forslund (screenplay), Vilhelm Moberg (original novel) Svensk Filmindustri 1975 No award given1976 Bite the Bullet John C. Champion (director), Richard Brooks (director, screenplay) Columbia Pictures 1977–1980 No awards given1981 Heartland Richard Pearce (director), Beth Ferris (screenplay), William Kittredge (screenplay), Elinore Randall Stewart (original story) Levitt-Pickman 1983 No award given1984 Never Cry Wolf Carroll Ballard (director), Curtis Hanson (screenplay), Sam Hamm (screenplay), Richard Kletter (screenplay), Farley Mowat (original story) Walt Disney Pictures 1985–1988 No awards given1989 Young Guns Christopher Cain (director), John Fusco (screenplay) Morgan Creek Productions 1990 No award given1991 Dances with Wolves Kevin Costner (director), Michael Blake (screenplay, original novel) Orion Pictures 1992 Thousand Pieces of Gold Nancy Kelly (director), Anne Makepeace (screenplay), Ruthanne Lum McCunn (original novel) Mother Lode Productions 1993 Unforgiven Clint Eastwood (director), David Peoples (screenplay) Malpaso Productions/Warner Bros. 1994 Geronimo: An American Legend Walter Hill (director), John Milius (screenplay), Larry Gross (screenplay) Columbia Pictures 1995 Legends of the Fall Edward Zwick (director), Bill Wittliff (screenplay), Jim Harrison (original novella) TriStar Pictures 1996–1998 No awards given1999 The Hi-Lo Country Stephen Frears (director), Walon Green (screenwriter), Max Evans (original novel) Gramercy Pictures 2000–2002 No awards given2003 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Kelly Asbury (director), Lorna Cook (director), John Fusco (screenplay) DreamWorks Pictures 2004 Open Range Kevin Costner (director), Craig Storper (screenplay), Lauran Paine (original novel) Tig Productions 2005 No award given2006 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Tommy Lee Jones (director), Guillermo Arriaga (screenplay) EuropaCorp/Javelina Film Company 2007 Truce Matthew Marconi (director, screenplay) Anthem Pictures 2008 3:10 to Yuma James Mangold (director), Halsted Welles (screenplay), Michael Brandt (screenplay), Derek Haas (screenplay), Elmore Leonard (original short story) Lionsgate 2009 Appaloosa Ed Harris (director, screenplay), Robert Knott (screenplay), Robert B. Parker (original novel) Warner Bros. Pictures 2010 No award given2011 True Grit Joel and Ethan Coen (directors, screenplay), Scott Rudin (producer), Charles Portis (original novel) Paramount Pictures 2012 Yellow Rock Nick Vallelonga (director), Lenore Andriel (screenplay), Steve Doucette (screenplay) Enlightenment Films Inc./Vallelonga Productions 2013 Django Unchained Quentin Tarantino (director, screenplay) The Weinstein Company 2014 The Cherokee Word for Water Charlie Soap (director), Tim Kelly (director, screenplay), Louise Rubacky (screenplay), Gary Miranda (screenplay) Kamama Films 2015 The Homesman Tommy Lee Jones (director, screenplay), Kieran Fitzgerald (screenplay), Wesley Oliver (screenplay), Glendon Swarthout (original novel) Javelina Film Company/Ithaca Films 2016 No award given2017 Hell or High Water David Mackenzie (director), Taylor Sheridan (screenplay) Film 44/OddLot Entertainment/Sidney Kimmel Entertainment 2018 Wind River Taylor Sheridan (director, screenplay) The Weinstein Company 2019 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Joel and Ethan Coen (directors, screenplay) Netflix 2020 Deadwood: The Movie Daniel Minahan (director), David Milch (screenplay) HBO 2021 News of the World Paul Greengrass (director, screenplay), Paulette Jiles (original novel) Universal Pictures 2022 The Power of the Dog Jane Campion (director, screenplay), Thomas Savage (original novel) Netflix 2023 Dead for a Dollar Walter Hill (director, screenplay) Myriad Pictures 2024 Ride Jake Allyn (director, screenplay), Josh Plasse (screenplay) Well Go 2025 Tokyo Cowboy Marc Marriott (director), Ayako Fujitani (screenplay), Dave Boyle (screenplay) Purdie Distribution 2026 Broke Carlyle Eubank (director, screenplay) Sony Pictures
Outstanding Docudrama Year Film Creators(s) Publisher(s) Ref.2013 Hatfields & McCoys Kevin Reynolds (director), Bill Kerby (screenplay), Ted Mann (screenplay), Leslie Greif (executive producer), Nancy Dubuc (executive producer), Dirk Hoogstra (executive producer) History 2014 Gold Fever Stephen David (producer) Discovery Channel 2015 The Road to Valhalla Ken Spurgeon (director, writer) Lone Chimney Films 2018 Home on the Range Ken Spurgeon (director) Lone Chimney Films 2026 Elkhorn: A Fine Welcome Michael Ojeda (director), Paninee Theeranuntawat (executive producer), Gary Tarpinian (executive producer) Morningstar Entertainment
Television Feature Film Year Film Creators(s) Publisher(s) Ref.1990 Lonesome Dove Simon Wincer (director), William D. Wittliff (screenplay), Larry McMurtry (original novel) CBS 1991 Across Five Aprils Kevin Meyer (director, screenplay), Irene Hunt (original novel) The Family Channel 1992 Conagher Reynaldo Villalobos (director), Sam Elliott (screenplay), Katharine Ross (screenplay), Jeffrey M. Meyer (screenplay) Louis L'Amour (original novel) TNT 1993 O Pioneers! Glenn Jordan (director), Robert W. Lenski (screenplay), Willa Cather (original novel) CBS 1994 Return to Lonesome Dove Mike Robe (director), John Wilder (screenplay) CBS 1995 Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee Frank Pierson (director), Bill Kerby (screenplay), Mary Crow Dog (original story) TNT 1996 Streets of Laredo Joseph Sargent (director), Diana Ossana (screenplay), Larry McMurtry (screenplay, original novel) CBS 1997 Riders of the Purple Sage Charles Haid (director), Gill Dennis (screenplay), Zane Grey (original novel) TNT 1998 Last Stand at Saber River Dick Lowry (director), Ronald M. Cohen (screenplay), Elmore Leonard (original novel) TNT 1999 Two for Texas Rod Hardy (director), Larry Brothers (screenplay) TNT 2000 Purgatory Uli Edel (director), Gordon T. Dawson (screenplay) TNT You Know My Name John Kent Harrison (director, screenplay) TNT 2001 The Virginian Bill Pullman (director), Larry Gross (screenwriter), Owen Wister (original novel) TNT 2002 Crossfire Trail Simon Wincer (director), Charles Robert Carner (screenplay), Louis L'Amour (original novel) TNT 2003 King of Texas Uli Edel (director), Stephen Harrigan (screenplay) TNT 2004 Monte Walsh Simon Wincer (director), Michael Brandman (screenplay), Robert B. Parker (screenplay), David Z. Goodman (screenplay), Lukas Heller (screenplay), Jack Schaefer (original novel) TNT 2005 The Trail to Hope Rose David S. Cass Sr. (director), Kevin Cutts (screenplay) Larry Levinson Productions/Hallmark Channel 2006 Into the West (multiple directors and writers) DreamWorks Television/TNT 2007 Broken Trail Walter Hill (director), Alan Geoffrion (screenplay) AMC 2008 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Yves Simoneau (director), Daniel Giat (screenplay) Wolf Films/Traveler's Rest Films/HBO Films 2011 Temple Grandin Mick Jackson (director), Christopher Monger (screenplay), William Merritt Johnson (screenplay) A Ruby Films/Gerson Saines Production/HBO Films 2012 Love's Christmas Journey David S. Cass Sr. (director), George Tierney (screenplay), Janette Oke (original novel) Larry Levinson Productions/Hallmark Channel 2013 Shadow on the Mesa David S. Cass Sr. (director), Lee Martin (screenplay) Larry Levinson Productions/Hallmark Channel 2014 No award given2015 Klondike Simon Cellan Jones (director), Paul Scheuring (screenplay), Josh Goldin (screenplay), Rachel Abramowitz (screenplay) Scott Free Productions/Discovery Channel 2016 Texas Rising Roland Joffé (director), Leslie Greif (screenplay), Darrell Fetty (screenplay), George Nihil (screenplay) A&E Studios/ITV Studios America/ThinkFactory Media
Factual Narrative