The Hollywood star was presented with the accolade by director Antoine Fuqua at the event in Las Vegas on Monday.
The opening night saw Sony Pictures present a range of first looks at upcoming projects, including Gran Turismo, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and Ghostbusters.
Fuqua, who directed Washington in vigilante action film series The Equalizer, presented him with the award in the final moments of the convention.
Addressing audience members, Washington said: “We would be nothing without you all. What we do means nothing if you’re not there.
“We’re here for you. We’re here because of you.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve been blessed beyond measure.”
The pair welcomed actress Dakota Fanning to the stage to introduce the trailer for The Equalizer 3, which is due for release in theatres in September.
Elsewhere, fans were treated to a sneak peek at the first 14 minutes of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the follow-up to the 2018 animated film.
Shameik Moore, who voices Miles Morales in the franchise, appeared onstage to present the film, telling audiences the film was due to see his character “figure out how to be a superhero”.
The film is due for release on June 2.
Other stars making appearances on day one of CinemaCon included Jennifer Lawrence, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Paul Rudd.
CinemaCon is taking place in Las Vegas from April 24 to 27 with presentations by all major US film studios.
