The recipients of the award receive an unrestricted grant of $225,000 over the span of three to five years, and an additional $50,000 is available to each of the winners based on other criteria. This year's other recipients are Anthony Braxton, Billy Childs, Ping Chong, Kelly Copper, DD Dorvillier, Amir ElSaffar, David Gordon, Pat Graney, Stacey Klein, David Lang, Pavol Liska, Rudresh Mahanthappa, John Malpede, Miya Masaoka, Myra Melford, Tere O'Connor, William Parker, Elizabeth Streb and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.
The Doris Duke Performing Artists Award was launched in 2011 to honor individuals in the fields of theatre, dance, jazz and related interdisciplinary work. The honors are part of the Doris Duke Performing Artists Initiative, a 10-year, $50-million commitment from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in partnership with Creative Capital, a cultural investment group.