NEW YORK — Brought to you by the Webby Awards (https://www.webbyawards.com), the Anthem Awards (https://www.anthemawards.com), honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, it defines a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities.
Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed a massive culture shift where humans worldwide have led and organized in new ways to build a more purpose-driven society. More than ever, people live their values and make active choices around the local and global impact of their daily actions — including the food they eat, the media they consume, the clothing they wear, the causes they support, and how they choose to spend their money.
For the 3rd consecutive year, media personality and technology maven Shefik (https://shefik.info) was named an official judge for the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards, where he served alongside a panel of esteemed judges, from companies such as Netflix, Newman's Own Foundation, Nike, Crooked Media, American Psychiatric Association Foundation, Comic Relief US, Mozilla, Tom's of Maine, and more (https://www.anthemawards.com/judges-2/). The judges for the Anthem Awards are intellectually diverse leaders with renown across the impact industry. The judges expertise spans across issue areas such as LGBTQ+ advocacy, racial equity, climate justice, mental health, gun control, and so much more.
The 3rd Annual Anthem Awards are also honoring select individuals for their incredible commitment to spurring long-lasting change with Special Achievement Awards. They join the ranks of past Special Achievement winners including Gloria Steinem, Billy Porter, Naomi Osaka, Dr. Jane Goodall, Pharrell Williams, and more. This year's Special Achievement winners are:
- Matt Damon: Anthem Special Achievement Award for his career-long commitment to activism, philanthropy, the climate crisis, and access to clean water.
- Kevin Bacon: Anthem Entertainer of the Year Award for his commitment to bringing people together, highlighting impactful causes from across the globe, and giving back.
- Selma Blair: Anthem Special Achievement Award in recognition of her efforts to raise awareness and change the public perception of how disability is represented in the media.
- Jesper Brodin: Anthem Vision Award to recognize his influence and leadership at IKEA and Ingka, improving policies to reduce the company’s carbon footprint while serving as a model for sustainable innovation in the industry.
- Misty Copeland: Anthem Special Achievement Award for breaking boundaries in ballet and her commitment to expanding opportunities and equality for the next generation of dancers and artists.
- Aurora James: Anthem New Icon Award for leading the way as a purpose-driven brand and promoting the inclusion of Black-owned businesses.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson: Anthem Special Achievement Award for his advocacy work in the LGBTQ+ community, support for cancer research, and commitment to making a positive impact in the world.
- Leon Ford: Anthem Community Impact Award for his work to promote racial justice, holistic wellness, and sustainable and actionable police reform.
Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The 3rd competition received nearly 2,000 entries from 44 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue is directed to the Anthem Fund, a grant program supporting emerging organizations working to advance the causes recognized by the Anthem Awards. This year the Anthem Fund is partnering with Billion Oyster Project.
"The Anthem Awards were born out of the desire to amplify and celebrate the voices that are creating sustainable change and to inspire others to take action," said Patricia McLoughlin, General Manager of Anthem Awards. "In a year where so much is at stake, it is incredibly important to recognize impact work and celebrate the progress happening globally. Congratulations to all of this year's winners."
This year's winners include AARP, ABC News, Al Jazeera Digital, Amazon Music, American Red Cross, BBC Studios, Brooklyn Public Library, Clinton Foundation, EY, GLAAD, Google, LinkedIn, National Football League (NFL), NowThis, Paramount, PBS Nature, Sesame Workshop, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, UNICEF, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The complete list of winners can be viewed at https://www.anthemawards.com/winners/.
"I continue to be deeply honored to once again serve as a judge for the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards," adds Shefik. "It is still vital that we continue to strive towards defining and refining respectable values for society — values that live up to ideals of accountability and acceptability."
Join Shefik and the entire Anthem Awards team, in igniting the spark to encourage all humans to make a substantive and positive change in the world.
About Shefik
Sir Shefik Macauley (https://shefik.info), known mononymously as Shefik, is an accomplished industry insider, who has appeared on MTV, SiriusXM, PBS, BET, network television, and in print media, as well as internationally on TRT World (Turkey). For his charitable and philanthropic work throughout the years, Shefik was bestowed with the rank of Knight in the Equestrian Order of Michael Archangel (https://royalhonors.org/order-michael-archangel). The Order is recognized by heads of state, being subjected to the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan (https://www.royalghassan.org), which is in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Shefik was also bestowed the rank of Knight Commander in the Royal Order of the Obeng II, subjected to the Royal House of Sefwi Obeng-Mim (Ghana) (https://www.royalhousemim.org). Celebrating over 25 years in the entertainment and technology industries, Shefik has held senior-level positions at many Fortune 500 companies and celebrated brands, including IBM, NBCUniversal, MTV World, Merck, Merriam-Webster, and Wolters Kluwer. As a videographer and producer, his work has been featured in television broadcasts and video productions for TIME, The Washington Center, "Unsung" (TV One), and Broadway World. Additionally, his photography has been featured in print and online publications, such as Daily Mail (United Kingdom), Harvard Kennedy School Magazine, Playbill, and China Press. He is currently the Executive Producer and Host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Shefik presents Invocation" (https://invocation.co), which is broadcast over 20 terrestrial radio stations and frequencies throughout the United States, as well as the internationally syndicated video series of the same name, via Amazon and other notable outlets.
Last Updated: March 24, 2024
