Wicked songwriter Stephen Schwartz has been named the 2025 recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award. Schwartz received the award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala June 12.

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul honored Schwartz in a special medley performance of Schwartz’s hits, followed by Wicked's original Glinda Kristin Chenoweth and current Elphaba Allie Trimm singing “For Good."

“Stephen, like Johnny, is a lyricist and composer whose work is recognized in film, theatre, and recordings,” said Johnny Mercer Foundation Vice President Jonathan Brielle in a statement. “With three Academy Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Tony Award nominations, and a Golden Globe, Stephen would have been admired by Johnny as a fellow traveler!”

Schwartz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009. His songs ushered in a new era of musical theatre with award-winning musicals like Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and more. Schwartz has also co-written songs for Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted, as well as Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt.

The Johnny Mercer foundation seeks to support the discipline of songwriting in the tradition of the Great American Songbook as exemplified by the life and work of the legendary Johnny Mercer, who was a lyricist, composer, performer, collaborator, and producer. The Foundation continues Mercer's legacy by partnering with individuals and organizations dedicated to celebrating and nourishing the disciplines he mastered and the causes he and his wife Ginger Mercer championed. 

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