The Spingarn Medal is an annual award presented by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to honor outstanding achievement by an African American. It was first awarded in 1915 and was named after Joel Elias Spingarn, a white civil rights activist and NAACP board member who donated the medal.

The Spingarn Medal has been awarded to numerous notable individuals in various fields, including activism, literature, science, and the arts. Recipients have included pioneers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison.

The award serves as a recognition of the significant contributions made by African Americans to society and symbolizes the ongoing struggle for civil rights and equality.