The US President Barack Obama has presented America's highest civilian award to sixteen people - including Bill Clinton and broadcaster Oprah Winfrey.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom has gone to those working in fields as diverse as science, politics, sports, media and public servants. The Medal was established 50 years ago by former President John F. Kennedy.
It has been presented to more than 500 individuals who have made especially "meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavours".
"These are the men and women who in their extraordinary lives remind us all of the beauty of the human spirit, the values that define us as Americans, the potential that lives inside of all of us" President Obama said.
Barack Obama awards the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Oprah Winfrey
Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and, following his second term, he set up the Clinton Foundation to improve global health, strengthen economies and protect the environment. He also formed the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund with President George W. Bush in 2010.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful broadcast journalists in the world. She is best known for creating 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', which became the highest rated talk show in America for 25 years.
Winfrey has long been active in philanthropic causes and expanding opportunities for young women. Awarding her medal at the White House, Obama joked about how things could have been so different.
