The Billboard Icon Award was established in 2011. It was introduced when the Billboard Music Awards returned to television after the ceremony had not been held from 2007 through 2010.
Neil Diamond became the award’s inaugural recipient at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. The honor recognizes an artist’s lasting cultural impact and achievements as a creator, writer and entertainer. Recipients traditionally perform during the ceremony, linking the tribute to the artist’s continuing musical legacy.
The award’s later honorees have included Stevie Wonder in 2012, Prince in 2013, Jennifer Lopez in 2014, Celine Dion in 2016, Cher in 2017, Janet Jackson in 2018, Mariah Carey in 2019 and Garth Brooks in 2020. There was no listed recipient in 2015, illustrating that the honor has not necessarily been presented every single year.
The date is sometimes confused with the Billboard Music Awards themselves, which began in 1990. The Icon Award is much newer: 2011 marks the award’s inauguration, not the beginning of the broader Billboard ceremony.