Bringing attention to the noteworthy contributions of Swedes and and Swedish Americans is an important part of the Swedish Council's mission. In 1980 the SCA sponsored the first Great Swedish Heritage Award program to celebrate the achievements of seven Americans of Swedish descent. At the same event, the SCA began a tradition of recognizing the accomplishments of a Swedish citizen by presenting the America's Swede of the Year Award. In 2008, the Swedish Council of America Board of Directors decided that future honorees will be honored with the SCA Heritage Award.
On October 24, 1980, the Council sponsored the first Great Swedish Heritage Awards program at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota, to celebrate the achievements of seven Americans of Swedish descent. Each recipient of the award—in fields ranging from education to entertainment to business—received the Great Swedish Heritage Award, a crystal eagle symbolizing the pride of all Swedish Americans for their contributions. At that same event, the SCA began a tradition of recognizing the accomplishments of a Swedish citizen by presenting America's Swede of the Year Award.
The success of the first Great Swedish Heritage Awards program convinced the SCA Board of Directors to sponsor the next awards banquet one year later in Chicago. Two Swedes were honored; one, Raoul Wallenberg, was presented the award in absentia.
The 1982 Great Swedish Heritage Awards progam took place at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. At this event, five awards were given in the presences of Their Majesties, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.
In 1984 the awards program was part of a multifaceted and highly successful "Sweden Week in Seattle." Again, royalty was present: Princess Lillian graciously received America's Swede of the Year Award on behalf of her husband, Prince Bertil.
Two years later, the awards dinner became an awards luncheon, taking place in Washington, DC, as the Council honored Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist and Swedish Ambassador Wilhelm Wachtmeister, then dean of the diplomatic corps.
Two noteworthy educators, Edgar Carlson and Emory Lindquist, received the Great Swedish Heritage Award at the 1990 dinner, held in Dearborn, Michigan. America's Swede of the Year was Swedish actor Max von Sydow, who interrupted a busy season on the stage of Stockholm's Royal Theatre in order to be present.
The last decade saw a diverse group of honorees for the Great Swedish Heritage Award. In 1992, Viveca Lindfors, actress and author, received the award, and in 1994 the honor was given to the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Richard Oldenburg. The business leaders Rudolph A. Peterson and Curtis L. Carlson received the award in 1996.
The Swedish Council returned to Seattle, Washington, in 2002 for the awards celebration. At this gala event, Marilyn Carlson Nelson received the Great Swedish Heritage Award and Dr. Hans Wigzell received the America's Swede of the Year Award. In 2005 the awards dinner took place at the Union League in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where H.E. Jan Eliasson, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States, received the America's Swede of the Year Award and Agneta Nilsson, founder of SWEA, received the Great Swedish Heritage Award. On the occasion of the Conference of Swedish America held in Karlstad, Sweden, in 2006, the Swedish Council of America was pleased to present the America's Swede of the Year Award to Ingemar Eliasson, Marshal of the Realm and former Governor of Värmland.
In 2008, Swedish Council's Board of Directors decided to combine the America's Swede of the Year Award and the SCA Great Swedish Heritage Award into the SCA Great Achievement Award, which would honor the outstanding contributions of Swedes and Swedish-Americans. On April 9, 2011, Swedish Council presented its first SCA Great Achievement Award to Mrs. Siri Eliason in Portland, OR.
