An art installation inspired by Vice President Kamala Harris, “The 1619 Project” and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” by The New York Times, as well as charitable programs from Airbnb, Google, PayPal and the National Football League. The finalists for the inaugural Anthem Awards were announced on Tuesday.
The awards – presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Science, best known for Internet honor The Webby – are intended to celebrate the mission-driven work and social impact of individuals, corporations and organizations. The winners, to be announced on February 15, will be honored at a virtual awards show on February 28, in conjunction with the first Anthem Voice conference to showcase the winners’ work and share philanthropic and social impact ideas.
“By recognizing and highlighting objective and mission-driven actions, we can increase the impact of those programs,” said Jessica Lauretti, managing director of The Anthem Awards. “We can bring people together for collaboration and partnership and ultimately inspire people to make positive social impacts in their communities.”
Lauretti said, like The Webbies, which sought to celebrate change in a digital-driven culture 25 years ago, The Anthem Awards aim to capture the current shift to more philanthropic and socially conscious concerns. Co-founders of the awards include Aid Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, GLAAD, Mozilla, NAACP, National Resource Defense Council, WWF and XQ Institute.
“That old way of doing things. Where you would do something over here and then do something over there to make up for it, it’s done,” Lauretti said. “Now, we’re really looking at the integration of that work and really making it a part of your mission that feels authentic and understandable.”
A team of judges included actors Daniel Dae Kim and Ashley Judd, Glad CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, New Ventures CEO and former Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Hermann and fashion designer Marc Ecko. The judges turned 2,500 entries from 36 countries into hundreds of finalists in seven categories. (For a full list of finalists, visit AnthemAwards.com,
Finalists in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion categories range from 72andSunny’s “Football is for Everyone” campaign for the NFL to Netflix’s “Vision of Us: Groundbreaking Moments in Lesbian Latin Representation” to a UN Research Roadmap for COVID-19 Recovery Huh.
Finalists in the Education, Arts and Culture category include SiriusXM’s “All Music is Black Music: Podcast,” Being Your Personal Best: Life Lessons from Olympians and Paralympians” courses from the American Olympic and Paralympic Museum, and the National Geographic Society’s Storytelling for impact program.
Finalists in the health category include: NBC News and MSNBC’s “Plan Your Vaccine” campaign, Johns Hopkins’ “The Public Health on Call” podcast, and AARP’s Making Connections with Veterans Through a Video Program.
Finalists in the Human and Civil Rights category include: Al Jazeera Digital’s “Know Their Names” project, the NAACP’s Unmasked COVID-19 Town Hall Series, and It Gets Better Projects Out in Front: Queer Youth Changing the World Documentary.
Finalists in the Humanitarian Action and Services category included: International Rescue Committee’s “Leadership in Times of Crisis” event, three different charities: Water Campaign, and the Niger Delta Partnership Initiative Foundation’s “For the Good of All: Three Partners”. For Peace Stories” Documentary.
Finalists in the Responsible Technology category include: DoorDash’s Project Dash program, Consumer Reports Digital Lab, and IBM’s Call for Code program.
Finalists in the Sustainability, Climate and Environment category included: NASA’s “Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet” website, Audrey Choi’s work as Morgan Stanley’s Chief Sustainability Officer, and the World Surf League’s We Are One Ocean Conservation. Campaign.
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