THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

From the 11th Annual Shorty Awards Innovator of the Year

The greatest minds in our world are hard to put in a box. Our newest category this year, Innovator of the Year celebrates CEOs, directors, producers, and multi-faceted creatives who are rapidly pushing society forward through their work. To put it simply, they’re unlike the rest.

Nominees

finalist
Ava Duvernay
Ava DuVernay made history as the highest grossing African-American female director in domestic box …
finalist
Bo Burnham
Bo Burnham is a master of middle school at age 28 through his early "pubescent musical comedy” on Y…
Brian Armstrong
Co-founder and CEO of Coinbase Brian Armstrong is creating an Open Financial System for the world. …
finalist
Elon Musk
Multi-company CEO superpower Elon Musk is pushing the pedal on innovative transport through cutting…
finalist
Emily Weiss
Founder and CEO of Glossier Inc., Emily Weiss, is reimagining the beauty industry as a visionary bl…
finalist
Karena Evans
Canadian director and Firecrackers actress Karena Evans just had her “favourite year of all time.” …
Kendrick Lamar
Deemed the "new king of hip hop,” Compton-hailing Kendrick Lamar brings a unique voice to rap like …
winner
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga repeatedly proves her talent with each new endeavor, now as lead actress in the revamped …
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Described by the NY Times as “a John Hughes for a darker, more cynical, way more libidinous age,” R…
Sara Blakely
Sara Blakely has found her life’s calling in supporting women. The now-billionaire founder and owne…
Tristan Walker
Tristan Walker’s Twitter and Instagram bios prove he is always working on the next great idea. Foun…
Whitney Wolfe Herd
Whitney Wolfe Herd has reimagined the “misogynistic hurricane” on online dating from a women’s poin…