The Gielgud Award was created by the Shakespeare Guild of Washington (www.shakesguild.org) under the dedicated leadership of John Andrews. The idea behind the award is to preserve the heritage of Sir John Gielgud and pay tribute to the actors, directors, producers, and writers who are doing the most to perpetuate his legacy and that of the poet whose work he did so much to convey to succeeding generations of Shakespeare enthusiasts. Recent recipients have included David Hare, Patrick Stewart, F Murray Abrahams, Ian Mckellen, Eileen Atkins and Vanessa Redgrave. The award is presented at the annual UK Theatre Awards which Clive Francis has been helping to organise since donating limited editions of his portrait of John Gielgud as the official honour. The print is signed by both Clive and Sir John Gielgud.