The Edison Society is the Dutch equivalent of the British Gramophone and the French Diapason Award and yearly the Edison Awards are given to the best cd’s of the year.
But also every year, a short list is made of truly great musicians who deserve to be rewarded for their achievement trough the years concerning their cd-input. In the last years, Mistislaw Rostropowitsj, Alfred Brendel and Anne-Sofie von Otter were among the winners.

This year, Thomas Hampson received the Edison Life Achievement Award 2005 on May the 2nd during the yearly Edison Gala.