The prize was presented by the venerable Diana Ross.
At the 2014 AMAs, the Dick Clark Award of Excellence was awarded for the first time, and it went to none other than Taylor Swift.
Of course, she’s done everything possible to earn it with the performance of her new album 1989. While “Out of the Woods” played in the background, Swift took the stage to accept the award from the venerable Diana Ross.
“When I was really young, when I first started in the industry, it was Dick Clark who made is possible for us to be on radio and TV,” referencing American Bandstand and her days with the Supremes. Swift gushed about Ross, calling her a woman who “stood up for herself in a time when it was not popular for a woman to stand up for herself.”