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]
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.
2011edit
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 (in alphabetical order):[6]
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]
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)
The 4 Young Wonders of 2019 (in alphabetical order):[19]
Jemima Browning, Tadcaster Stingrays
Grace Callwood, We Cancerve Movement
Bradley Ferguson, Post Crashers
Jahkil Jackson, Project I Am
2020edit
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 3 Young Wonders of 2020 (in alphabetical order):
Cavanaugh Bell, Cool & Dope
Tiana Day, Youth Advocates for Change
TJ Kim, Operation SOS
2021edit
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.
Honorees included:
Jennifer Colpas, Colombia - Tierra Grata
Lynda Doughty, United States - Marine Mammals of Maine
David Flink, United States - Eye To Eye
Dr. Patricia Gordon, United States - Cure Cervical Cancer
Hector Guadalupe, United States - A Second U Foundation
Michele Neff Hernandez, United States - Soaring Spirits
Zannah Mustapha, Nigeria - Future Prowess Islamic Foundation
Jordan Mittler, United States - Mittler Senior Technology
2022edit
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.
Winner: Kwane Stewart (veterinarian who treats the pets of the homeless for free, helping the pets and the humans who love them dearly) [22]
Awardsedit
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.
^"An awards show unlike any other - CNN.com". CNN. December 10, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
^"'Mother Robin' wins CNN Hero of the Year - CNN.com". CNN. 27 December 2011.
^CNN. "Top 10 CNN heroes for 2012 Selected". Retrieved 2012-09-21. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^ abCNN. "'Young Wonders' stepped up, changed the world". Retrieved 2014-12-08. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^"And the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013 are ..." CNN.com. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
^Almond, Kyle. "Rivers' garbageman named CNN Hero of the Year". CNN. Retrieved Nov 2, 2020.
^"2015 CNN Hero of the Year Maggie Doyne helps women, children in Nepal". cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
^"CNN Hero of the Year winner: 'God chose me to help'". cnn.com. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
^Melonyce McAfee. "CNN Hero of the Year winner: 'God chose me to help'". CNN. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
^"The CNN SuperHero is ..." cnn.com. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
^"Meet the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2017". cnn.com. Retrieved 2017-11-03.
^"Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2018 revealed". cnn.com. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
^"CNN honors 10 men and women for making the world a better place". cnn.com. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
^Escobedo, Tricia (December 6, 2019). "If you think Gen Z is entitled and lazy, you haven't met these four kids". CNN Heroes. CNN.com. CNN. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
^"Angela Bassett, Orlando Bloom and Gal Gadot Among the Celebrity Presenters for the 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute". Retrieved 2021-08-14.
^"CNN Heroes Salutes Frontline Workers, Advocates, Scientists and Everyday People Helping Those in Need". Retrieved 2021-08-14.
^"CNN Hero of the Year winner makes surprise announcement".