SFWA Grandmaster
Since 1975, SFWA has been giving the Grand Master award "to a living author for a lifetime's achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy." Apparently (if I'm remembering the story right) it wasn't originally intended to be an annual award, but rather an occasional one, for deserving authors. But it's become almost annual recently.
Of the 19 authors who've received the award so far, only one is female; Andre Norton got it back in 1983. But Ursula K. Le Guin is going to receive this year's award, sez Locus. Way cool, and of course long overdue.