Illinois Enters the Pantheon

Sufjan Stevens was honored with the first-ever New Pantheon Award (and the $5,000 prize) for Illinois, his 2005 breakthrough album. The New Pantheon Award was created to pick up where the Shortlist Prize left off by bringing widespead attention to deserving under-the-radar artists. Stevens was chosen by a panel staffed by Dave Matthews, Beck, Ric Ocasek, Elton John, Shirley Manson, and Keith Urban.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002275285