Laurel Leaf Award
ACA's prestigious Laurel Leaf Award has been presented annually since 1951 to individuals and organizations in recognition of "distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging American music." Among the recipients of the Laurel Leaf have been the Juilliard String Quartet, American Music Center, Leonard Slatkin, Minnesota Composers Forum (now known as American Composers Forum), and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.
Laurel Leaf Award Recipients
| 2007 | Fred Sherry, cellist |
| 2003 | Greg Smith, The Gregg Smith Singers |
| 1999 | Lou Rodgers, Producing Artistic Director, Golden Fleece Ltd., The Composers Chamber Theatre |
| 1998 | David Alan Miller, Music Director, Albany Symphony Orchestra |
| 1997 | Speculum Musicae |
| 1996 | Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group; Ernest Fleischmann, Executive Vice President and Managing Director |
| 1995 | Minnesota Composers Forum |
| 1994 | Society for New Music; Syracuse- Neva Pilgrim, Program Director |
| 1993 | Leonard Slatkin |
| 1992 | Cleveland Chamber Symphony; Edwin London, Music Director |
| 1991 | The Boston Musica Viva; Pittman, Music Director |
| 1990 | Center for New Music, University of Iowa / in memoriam,William Hibbard |
| 1989 | Betty Allen / Harlem School of the Arts / Mimi Stern-Wolfe |
| 1988 | American Music Center |
| 1987 | Francis Thorne American Composers Orchestra WNYC / New York Public Radio |
| 1986 | Raymond Des Roches American Academy in Rome |
| 1985 | Nicolas Slonimsky American Society of University Composers |
| 1984 | Opus One / Max Schubel Mrs. Ernest S. Heller |
| 1983 | Lukas Foss |
| 1982 | The Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, Inc. |
| 1981 | Carter Harman / Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI) |
| 1980 | John Duffy / Meet the Composer Joseph Machlis |
| 1979 | Ralph Shapey Contemporary Chamber Players, University of Chicago |
| 1978 | James Dixon |
| 1977 | Arthur Weisberg The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble |
| 1976 | Gunther Schuller |
| 1975 | Nelson Rockefeller |
| 1974 | Teresa Sterne |
| 1973 | The MacDowell Colony |
| 1972 | Leopold Stokowski |
| 1971 | Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University |
| 1970 | Otto Luening Harris Danziger / Third Street Music Settlement School |
| 1969 | Group for Contemporary Music |
| 1968 | Aaron Copland |
| 1967 | Radio Station WBAI, New York Fromm Foundation Composers Forum |
| 1966 | Henry A. Moe Lawrence Morton |
| 1965 | Henry Cowell Avery Claflin Elizabeth Ames |
| 1964 | Walter Hinrichsen Margaret L. Crofts Max Pollikoff |
| 1963 | Carl Haverlin Claire Reis |
| 1962 | Bethany Beardslee Hugh Ross Samuel Rosenbaum |
| 1961 | Mrs. Helen Thompson William Strickland |
| 1960 | Howard Mitchell Oliver Daniel |
| 1959 | Martha Graham Jack Benny |
| 1958 | Thor Johnson |
| 1957 |
Howard Hanson |
| 1956 | Robert Whitney |
| 1955 | George Szell |
| 1954 | Green Bay (WI) Symphonietta |
| 1953 | Dr. Herman Neuman |
| 1952 | Maro and Anahid Ajemian |
| 1951 | Radio Station WGBH, Boston |