James Cameron will be honored with the Distinguished Collaborator Award at the 28th Costume Designers Guild Awards.
The Distinguished Collaborator Award honors individuals who demonstrate unwavering support of costume design and creative partnerships with costume designers. Cameron joins past recipients including Clint Eastwood, Guillermo del Toro, Quentin Tarantino, Meryl Streep, Lorne Michaels, Joel Schumacher, Rob Marshall, Helen Mirren and Ryan Murphy.
In a statement, Terry Gordon, President of the guild said, “James Cameron doesn’t just build worlds — he builds cultures with costumes, histories. His partnership with Oscar-winning costume designer Deborah L. Scott and collaboration with many other designers is a testament to the way he recognizes costume design as storytelling, bringing identity and character to life. For that unwavering respect for our art and for the creative partnership he brings the Costume Designers Guild is proud to honor James Cameron with our Distinguished Collaborator Award.”
Cameron’s “Avatar” movies — about the adventures of Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and their family — come with significant box office expectations. The original 2009 film and its 2022 sequel, “The Way of Water,” stand as two of the highest-grossing movies in history, with $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively. Thanks to “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Zoe Saldaña is officially the highest-grossing actor of all time. The film has already grossed more than $2.32 billion worldwide and currently stands as the 29th highest-grossing movie of all time. Beyond filmmaking, Cameron is a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, a record-setting deep-ocean explorer and a passionate advocate for sustainability and environmental innovation.
As previously announced, honorees include Career Achievement Award recipient Michelle Cole, Vanguard Spotlight Award honoree Teyana Taylor and Spotlight Award honoree Kate Hudson.
The guild announced their nominations for the 28th CDGA, with “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners,” “Weapons,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Bugonia” among the titles landing nominations.
The 28th CDGA host, presenters and additional honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
The CDGA ceremony will take place on Feb. 12, 2026, at The Ebell of Los Angeles, Calif. Winners in the nine competitive categories will be announced live at the event.
