in 1989, he won the thelonious monk international jazz piano award. he received stipends from the national endowment for the arts. he won a grant from the new zealand school of music and the rodger fox big band of new zealand released an album of cunliffe's jazz orchestra compositions. in 2005, he won the philadelphia jazz composer competition sponsored by the american composer federation. in the 1990s, he was nominated for two emmys for best original song for the television soap operas "another world" and "guiding light".