Cash Aside, Are Music Prizes Meaningful?

Conducting Business

For any artist, glowing reviews and standing ovations are great – but they don't pay the rent. A big-money prize can serve as an early-career springboard, a mid-career boost, or a way to fund the next big project. But just because there's a lot of cash, does that make the honor meaningful? And how many big-money awards are given because of altruism and how many are, to put it frankly, good marketing gimmicks?