Honoring 25 Years of Creativity: Bennett Awards and MoPOP’s 2025 Icons of Pop Culture Gala
2025 MoPOP Icons of Pop Culture Awards, designed by Bennett Awards
Part 1 – The Project: Continuing a Legacy of Celebration
Since 2020, Bennett Awards has partnered with the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle to design and produce the Icons of Pop Culture Awards—honoring trailblazers in Film, Gaming, Fashion, Music, and Community. These awards are presented annually at MoPOP’s Icons of Pop Culture Gala, one of the museum’s most anticipated events celebrating the creative forces shaping modern culture.
Bennett’s collaboration with MoPOP began years earlier through the creation of the museum’s Founders Award, which recognized groundbreaking musical artists. When MoPOP introduced the Icons of Pop Culture Gala, they returned to Bennett for design continuity and craftsmanship that would reflect the museum’s innovative spirit.
In 2025, the gala took on even greater significance as part of MoPOP 25: A Quarter Century of Culture, celebrating 25 years of creativity and community impact. The event, held on October 23, 2025, honored icons including Ruth E. Carter (Fashion), The Jim Henson Company’s Fraggle Rock (Film), Evil Geniuses (Gaming), Jimi Hendrix (Music), and 206 Zulu (Community). The evening also featured a star-studded tribute concert to Jimi Hendrix, with performances by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Dweezil Zappa, and other celebrated artists.
MoPOP engaged Bennett again to design awards worthy of such influential honorees—art pieces that visually capture MoPOP’s mission to honor creativity, risk-taking, and boundary-pushing artistry.
Part 2 – The Creative Process: Collaboration, Design, and Innovation
Bennett’s design team began the 2025 project with a clear goal: to preserve the recognizable design language of the previous awards while introducing subtle updates for MoPOP’s milestone year. The goal was for the award to not only carry brand continuity, but to emphasize modern sophistication that would represent the innovation of the culture-makers being honored, and simultaneously capture something timeless that would represent these creative legacies in the world.
Drawing from the original Founders Award, Bennett retained the geometric structure—a milled aluminum square framing a smaller, engraved inner plate—to create a sense of visual legacy. The reflective nickel-plated exterior contrasts elegantly with the black center plate, engraved in silver for a sleek, high-contrast appearance. Each award’s engraving was uniquely designed to represent its category:
The Music Icon award features a stylized sound wave motif.
The Fashion Icon award showcases a dynamic sketch of a human figure in a flowing garment.
The Film Icon award highlights an abstract eye with a camera-lens iris.
The Gaming Icon award reveals an instantly recognizable “1Up” graphic in a retro pixelated style that calls back to classic video games
The Community Icon award captures a minimalist rendering of the iconic Seattle skyline
The Employee Icon award displays the distinctive grooves of a record player, which honors the music appreciation that has been the foundation of MoPop
The result is a family of awards that are unified yet distinctly expressive—mirroring the diversity of pop culture itself.
In 20205, MoPOP’s budget underwent adjustments. Rather than compromising materials or finishes, Bennett proposed a refined solution: slightly reducing the award’s scale to save on casting and materials costs. This small but impactful modification preserved the award’s visual integrity while aligning with the updated financial parameters. The award now stands at 6 inches tall and 6 inches across, allowing it to have a substantial presence despite its lightweight materials.
This creative, collaborative approach underscored the mutual trust built over years of partnership—one rooted in open communication and shared artistic goals.
Part 3 – The Final Product
The finished Icons of Pop Culture Awards are a study in balance—modern yet timeless, bold yet understated. Each piece rests on a milled aluminum and black anodized base that contrasts subtly with the polished upper square. The engraved silver-on-black central plate reflects both light and legacy, celebrating the individual artistry of each honoree.
Unlike traditional sculptural trophies, these square-form awards echo the visual language of plaques while standing freely, commanding attention on any display surface. Together, they form a cohesive and visually striking collection—an embodiment of MoPOP’s fusion of art, innovation, and storytelling.
Part 4 – The Impact: A Night of Legacy and Inspiration
The Icons of Pop Culture Gala not only honors cultural innovators—it sustains MoPOP’s mission. In 2024, the event raised more than $781,000 for the museum’s exhibitions, educational programs, and community initiatives. While data for the 2025 event has not yet been released, anticipation was high across Seattle. Press coverage and event photos captured an ornate and energetic evening, reflecting MoPOP’s 25-year journey as a home for creative expression.
Each year, these awards symbolize more than recognition—they represent the ongoing dialogue between pop culture and the communities that shape it. For Bennett Awards, collaborating with MoPOP continues to be both an artistic and cultural privilege: a chance to craft objects that honor innovation, celebrate achievement, and inspire future generations of creators.
As MoPOP looks toward its next quarter-century, Bennett is proud to help tell its story—one shining square at a time.
