Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, was honored Wednesday with the inaugural Shaping Our Appalachian Region Inspires Appalachian Film and Arts Award during the opening of the 2026 SOAR Summit at the Corbin Arena.
Presented by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the SOAR Inspires Awards recognize Kentuckians whose leadership, service and commitment are helping shape the future of eastern Kentucky. This year’s summit theme, “Celebrating the People Building Eastern Kentucky,” highlights the individuals, businesses, organizations and communities creating opportunities, solving challenges, preserving the region’s heritage and inspiring others.
Stivers was recognized for his leadership in expanding opportunities in Kentucky’s creative economy, including efforts to strengthen the state’s film and television industry and broaden access to the arts across the commonwealth.
The recognition comes shortly after the Motion Picture Association honored Stivers with its 2026 Industry Champion Award for his work supporting Kentucky’s growing film and television industry.
“Senate President Stivers’s support for the arts extends far beyond film,” said Corbin Mayor Suzie Rasmus. “He has championed initiatives like the Louisville Orchestra’s In Harmony program, which brings world-class music to communities across Kentucky, including right here in eastern Kentucky. A mother in Beattyville once told him she could never have afforded to take her children to Louisville to experience the orchestra. Because the orchestra came to them, her children had that opportunity. That story captures what this work is really about — ensuring Kentucky’s arts and cultural opportunities are accessible to everyone, no matter where they live. That is the kind of leadership worth recognizing, and it is why this award is so well deserved.”
Kentucky’s creative economy is creating jobs, attracting investment and providing new opportunities for Kentuckians to tell their stories and build careers close to home.
Investing in the arts can open doors for Kentuckians who might otherwise never have access to those opportunities.
In recognition of the lasting impact of Stivers’s work, SOAR also announced that the award will carry his name beginning this year.
The Robert Stivers Appalachian Film and Arts Award will recognize individuals whose work expands opportunity, strengthens Kentucky’s creative economy and ensures the stories and talents of Appalachia have a stage.
“I am truly honored and humbled to have an award named after me,” Stivers said. “Kentucky has an incredible story to tell, and the people of Appalachia have talent, creativity and determination that deserve to be seen and heard. When we invest in the arts and creative industries, we are not only preserving what makes Kentucky special. We are creating new opportunities and strengthening communities for generations to come.”
The 2026 SOAR Summit, presented by Appalachian Wireless and the Appalachian Regional Commission, brings together leaders from across eastern Kentucky to celebrate the people and ideas helping build the region’s future.
Sen. Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. Stivers has served as Kentucky Senate president for over a decade. He first assumed the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As the Senate President, he is co-chair of the Legislative Research Commission. Stivers is also a member of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary.
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