CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the program was hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa. Honorees are introduced during the fall of each year and the audience is encouraged to vote online for the CNN Hero of the Year. Ten recipients are honored and each receive US$10,000. The top recipient is chosen as the CNN Hero of the Year and receives an additional US$100,000 to continue their work. During the broadcast celebrating their achievements, the honorees are introduced by celebrities who actively support their charity work.[1] To celebrate the 10th anniversary, the 2016 edition had an additional segment where five previous Hero of the Year winners were chosen as candidates for the Superhero of the Year award, which was decided with an online poll.[2]
Heroes
2007
The 18 CNN Heroes finalists for 2007 were (in alphabetical order):
Florence Cassassuce, La Paz, Mexico
Kayla Cornale, of Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Mathias Craig, of San Francisco
Irania Martinez Garcia, of Guantanamo, Cuba
Pablo Fajardo, of Ecuador
Rangina Hamidi, of Stone Ridge, Virginia, United States
Rick Hodes, of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Lynwood Hughes, of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States
Dallas Jessup, of Vancouver, Washington, United States
Peter Kithene, of Seattle, Washington, United States
Scott Loeff, of Chicago, Illinois, United States
Mark Maksimowicz, of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
James McDowell, of Patchogue, New York, United States
Anne McGee, of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Josh Miller, of Santa Monica, California, United States
Rosemary Nyirumbe, of Uganda
Steve Peifer, of Kijabe, Kenya
S. Ramakrishnan, of Ayikydy, India
Julie Rems-Smario, of Oakland, California, United States
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 were (in alphabetical order):
Tad Agoglia, of Long Island, New York, United States
Yohannes Gebregeorgis, of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Carolyn LeCroy, of Norfolk, Virginia, United States
Anne Mahlum, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Liz McCartney, of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States: CNN 2008 Hero of the Year
Phymean Noun, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
David Puckett, of Savannah, Georgia, United States
Maria Ruiz, of El Paso, Texas, United States
Marie Da Silva, of (Malawi), residing in Los Angeles, California, United States
Viola Vaughn, of Kaolack, Senegal
2009
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009 were (in alphabetical order):
Jorge Munoz, of Queens, New York, United States
Jordan Thomas, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Budi Soehardi, of Kupang, Indonesia
Betty Makoni, of London, United Kingdom
Doc Hendley, of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, United States
Efren Peñaflorida, of Cavite City, Philippines: 2009 CNN Hero of the Year[4]
Derrick Tabb, of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Roy Foster, of Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Andrea Ivory, of West Park, Florida, United States
Brad Blauser, of Dallas, Texas, United States
2010
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010 (in alphabetical order):
Also all of the 33 Chilean Miners came on the show to be honored after the 2010 Copiapó mining accident before awards were given out to the list of heroes shown above. Kareem Taylor is the promotional voice for the commercial campaign leading up to the show.
Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega of Juarez, Mexico
Susan Burton of California, United States
Linda Fondren of Mississippi, United States
Anuradha Koirala of Kathmandu, Nepal: 2010 CNN Hero of the year[5]
Narayanan Krishnan of Madurai, India
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow of Scotland, United Kingdom
Harmon Parker of Kenya, Africa
Aki Ra of Siem Reap, Cambodia
Evans Wadongo of Kenya, Africa
Dan Wallrath of Texas, United States
2011
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 (in alphabetical order):[6]
Eddie Canales of Texas, United States
Taryn Davis of North Carolina, United States
Sal Dimiceli of Wisconsin, United States
Derreck Kayongo of Atlanta, United States
Diane Latiker of Chicago, United States
Robin Lim of Bali, Indonesia: 2011 CNN Hero of the year[7]
Patrice Millet of Haiti
Bruno Serato of Anaheim, California, United States
Richard St. Denis of Mexico
Amy Stokes of South Africa
2012
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012 (in alphabetical order):[8]
The 3 Young Wonders of 2012 (in alphabetical order):
Pushpa Basnet of Kathmandu, Nepal: 2012 CNN Hero of the year
Wanda Butts of Ohio, United States
Mary Cortani of California, United States
Catalina Escobar of Cartagena, Colombia
Razia Jan of Afghanistan, with an organization located in Massachusetts, United States
Thulani Madondo of Kliptown, South Africa
Leo McCarthy of Montana, United States
Connie Siskowski of New Jersey, United States
Scott Strode of Colorado, United States
Malya Villard-Appolon of Kofaviv, Haiti
Cassandra Lin
Will Lourcey
Jessica Rees
2013
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013 (in alphabetical order):[9]
Dale Beatty, co-founder of Purple Heart Homes
George Bwelle
Robin Emmons
Danielle Gletow, founder of One Simple Wish
Tawanda Jones
Richard Nares
Kakenya Ntaiya
Chad Pregracke of the USA: 2013 CNN Hero of the year[10]
Estella Pyfrom, creator of "Estalla's Brilliant Bus"
Laura Stachel
2014
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014 (in alphabetical order):[1]
The 3 Young Wonders of 2014 (in alphabetical order):[11]
Arthur Bloom of the United States
Jon Burns of the United Kingdom
Pen Farthing of the United Kingdom: 2014 CNN Hero of the year
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2019 each received US$10,000. The 2019 CNN Hero of the Year received an additional US$100,000. The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2019:[18]
The 4 Young Wonders of 2019 (in alphabetical order):[19]
Staci Alonso, Noah's Animal House (pet shelter for escaping domestic violence)
Najah Bazzy, Zaman International (helping women & children living in poverty)
Woody Faircloth, RV4CampfireFamily.org
Freweini Mebrahtu, 2019 CNN Hero of the Year, Dignity Period (helping Ethiopian girls stay in school)
Mark Meyers
Richard Miles
Roger Montoya
Mary Robinson
Afroz Shah
Zach Wigal
Jemima Browning, Tadcaster Stingrays
Grace Callwood, We Cancerve Movement
Bradley Ferguson, Post Crashers
Jahkil Jackson, Project I Am
2020
The 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute focused solely on inspirational heroes from the biggest stories of the year—the fight against coronavirus and the battle for racial equity and social justice. Frontline workers, advocates, scientists, Young Wonders and everyday people were saluted and 8 nonprofit organizations working to tackle these issues were highlighted. Each organization received $10,000 and viewers were encouraged to donate to these vetted, trusted organizations.[20]
In lieu of the traditional Top 10 and CNN Hero of the Year, the 2020 edition saw viewers selecting the year's Most Inspirational Moments.[21]
The nonprofit organizations highlighted included:
The 3 Young Wonders of 2020 (in alphabetical order):
The 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute returned to the long-running shows' traditional format honoring the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2021 with viewers voting online for the CNN Hero of the Year. Shirley Raines was selected as the 2021 CNN Hero of the Year.
Jordan Mittler, United States - Mittler Senior Technology
2022
The 16th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute premiered live on Sunday December 11, 2022. Nelly Cheboi was selected by viewers as the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year.
Honorees included:
Young Wonders recognized included:
Carie Broeker - Pacific Grove, CA
Richard Casper - Nashville, TN
Nelly Cheboi - Mogotio, Kenya and Shabbona, IL
Nora El-Khouri Spencer - Carrboro, NC
Tyrique Glasgow - Philadelphia, PA
Teresa Gray - Anchorage, AK
Meymuna Hussein-Cattan - Santa Ana, CA
Aidan Reilly - Santa Ana, CA
Debra Vines - Maywood, IL
Bobby Wilson - Atlanta, GA
Ruby Chitsey - Harrison, AR
Sri Nihal Tammana - Edison, NJ
2023
The 17th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute premiered live on Sunday December 10, 2023. Dr. Kwane Stewart was selected by viewers as the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year. Former President Jimmy Carter and the late First Lady Rosalynn Carter were awarded the inaugural CNN Heroes Legacy Award for their lifetime commitment to community service.
2023 CNN Hero of the Year: Dr. Kwane Stewart (veterinarian who treats the pets of the homeless for free, helping the pets and the humans who love them dearly) [22]
Honorees included:
Young Wonders recognized included:
Yasmine Arrington Brooks - ScholarCHIPS – Washington DC
Osei Boateng - OBK Hope Foundation – Somerset, NJ and Ghana
Tescha Hawley - Day Eagle Hope Project – Fort Belknap Reservation, MT
Alvin Irby - Barbershop Books – New York, NY
Adam Pearce - Love Your Brain – Norwich, VT
Estefanía Rebellón - Yes We Can World Foundation – Burbank, CA and Mexico
Mama Shu - Avalon Village – Highland Park, MI
Dr. Kwane Stewart - Project Street Vet – San Diego, CA
Emily Bhatnagar - For Love & Buttercup – Gaithersburg, MD
Steven Hoffen - Growing Peace – New York, NY
2024
The 18th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute premiered Sunday December 8, 2024. Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates. The year's Top 5 CNN Heroes were all recognized, with Stephen Knight selected by viewers as the 2024 CNN Hero of the Year. Beloved actor and public figure Michael J. Fox was honored with the 2nd Annual CNN Heroes Legacy Award for his lifetime commitment to bringing hope to those diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Honorees included:
Young Wonders recognized included:
Ron Davis Alvarez, Dream Orchestra – Gothenburg, Sweden
Stephen Knight, Dogs Matter – Dallas, TX
Payton McGriff, SHE (Style Her Empowered) – Moscow, ID & Nôtse, Togo
Rachel Rutter, Project Libertad – Phoenixville, PA
Yamilée Toussaint, STEM From Dance – Brooklyn, NY
Brooke and Breanna Bennett – Women in Training, Inc. – Montgomery, AL
2025
The 19th Annual CNN Heroes show will premiere later this year.
Awards
In 2022, the program was honored with the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Live News Special for its 2021 15th Annual Show.The program's director Brett Kelly was also nominated for Outstanding Direction and the original full-length CNN Heroes segment on Shirley Raines of Beauty 2 The Streetz was nominated for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Short Form.
In 2020, the program's director, Brett Kelly, received the inaugural Outstanding Direction News & Documentary Emmy Award for its 2019 13th Annual Show.In 2019, the program was nominated for the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding News Special for its 2018 12th Annual show.
In 2017, the program received a News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Direction and Scenic Design its 2016 10th Annual show.In 2012, the program received a Peabody Award for its 2011 campaign and show.CNN Heroes has also been nominated for additional News & Documentary Emmy Awards and is the winner of 3 Gracies and multiple National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Awards.
See also
List of awards for volunteerism and community service
