In the 1995-96 program year, Maggie Allesee brought to the CCBB Board the idea of careating a Cultural Arts award to highlight the role of the arts in the Birmingham Bloomfield community. The first award was presented in the early autumn of 1996, and has been given continuously since. Later, when the jury was undecided among worth candidates the Special Lifetime Achievement Award was created, and is presented sometimes, according to the decision of the jury. In 2019 the CCBB Board instituted the Partners With the Arts Award to recognize businesses and institutions that have made noteworthy and consistent contributions to the arts in our lives.