Smithsonian magazine has awarded Lil Nas X its American Ingenuity Award for Youth. The honor recognizes the breakout rapper's banner year, thanks to his song "Old Town Road."

Smithsonian's American Ingenuity Awards honor those who are creating change within American society, in the categories of youth, visual arts, social progress, technology, life sciences, physical sciences and performing arts. Lil Nas X's fellow honorees include painter Amy Sherald, restaurateur Jose Andres, inventor Alex Kipman, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital doctors Ewelina Mamcarz, Stephen Gottschalk and Brian Sorrentino, researcher Sheperd Doeleman and the Event Horizon Telescope Team, and playwright Heidi Schreck.

“Our American Ingenuity Awards honor those individuals who are spearheading revolutionary change in society," says Maria Keehan, creative director of Smithsonian magazine, in a press release. “We are celebrating visionaries across a multitude of platforms, from those aiding disaster victims worldwide to those developing a life-saving gene therapy or redefining what is means to mix genres in music. We are proud to honor this year's class, all of whom are at the top of their respective fields.”

"Old Town Road" and its numerous remixes shot Lil Nas X to stardom in the spring, after the song gained an audience on the TikTok app. The singer and rapper and his collaborator, Billy Ray Cyrus, have received a number of awards nominations for the song, and performed "Old Town Road" at a multitude of high-profile events, including CMA Fest and Stagecoach. The song was recently named the 2019 CMA Musical Event of the Year as well.

Lil Nas X and the rest of the 2019 American Ingenuity Awards winners will be featured in December's Smithsonian issue. Read more at SmithsonianMag.com, or look for the magazine on newsstands on Nov. 26.

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