Additionally, six creative entrepreneurs received $120,000 from the Inaugural Shortys x Wave Elevate Creatives Fund in support of the fast-growing creator economy
NEW YORK, NOV 14 – The Shorty Impact Awards have announced the winners of the 8th Annual Shorty Impact Awards and the six recipients of the inaugural Elevate Creatives Fund presented by Wave and the Shorty Awards at a live ceremony in the evening of November 13th, 2023, at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, CA.
Winners of this year’s Shorty Impact Awards included major brands, agencies and nonprofits such as Comic Relief US, UNICEF, Edelman, MTV, VCCP, Insight Creative Group, Barbie, Spike DDB, GoFundMe, Participant, McKinsey, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Smile Train, Sid Lee & The Nation of Artists, Delta Air Lines, Mastercard, Al Jazeera, Zeno Group, PopShorts, MONO, Cartoon Network, Herd MSL, Hello Monday/DEPT®, EssenceMediacom, The Vita Coco Company, Snow Company, McKinney, JUV Consulting, dentsu, WWE, TheGrio, MAX, Brady, Ad Council, TED Conferences, and more. View the complete list of winners and honorees here.
“Shorty Impact Awards not only celebrate excellence in purpose-driven work and meaningful storytelling but also elevate and give back to the community of diverse creative talent behind the world-changing work.” said Junmian Sun, managing director of the Shorty Awards. “Congratulations to our winners, honorees and finalists on their outstanding work. Thank you to the members of the Real Time Academy - particularly the over 200 judges who participated in this season’s judging, our partners Wave, Adobe, Advertising Week, Muck Rack and the broader Shorty community for your support.”
Rapper Kodie Shane and pop singer Meredith O’Connor performed at the live show alongside Vermillion Vocalists, an A Capella group from UC Irvine, to premiere an anti-bullying and mental health awareness music video compilation, created by prominent artists from around the world such as Kpop idol Minzy, Afropop star Reekado Banks, Latin pop star RUGGERO, and others.
Recipients of the Inaugural Elevate Creatives Fund were also celebrated on stage
The Elevate Creatives Fund is a grant program jointly presented by Wave, the one-stop money management solution for small business owners, and the Shortys. Designed to fuel creative entrepreneurship, this program saw so many high-caliber entries that it added an additional recipient. The six recipients of this inaugural grant, totaling $120,000, were announced at the live event, with each recipient to receive $20,000 alongside personalized bookkeeping and accounting coaching from Wave's in-house experts to help take their business to the next level.
The recipients are:
- Joseph Arujo: Latinx LGBTQ+ mental-health activist and content creator working on a debut children’s book.
- Jamie Feldman: journalist, essayist and content creator developing a podcast tackling debt and financial literacy.
- Kirby Porter: former Harvard women’s basketball player and founder of New Game Labs - a media firm for the athlete economy.
- Alyson Stoner: actor, author, digital creator, and the founder of Movement Genius, a platform making mental well-being affordable, accessible and culturally relevant.
- Rollie Williams: creator and host of Climate Town, a docu-comedy video series focused on demystifying the climate crisis.
- Tiffany Yu: content creator, speaker, CEO & Founder of Diversability, an award-winning and entirely disabled-run and led social enterprise to elevate disability pride.
“The six recipients of the Elevate Creatives Fund are a truly inspiring representation of the creative small business community, and their success is critical to economic growth, job creation and the livelihood of the creator economy,” says Zahir Khoja, CEO, Wave. “From cash flow to funding, balancing competing priorities and managing every aspect of their business, solopreneurs face a number of challenges yet remain vastly underserved by financial systems. We’re thrilled to do our part to support their success and enable them to make an even greater social and cultural impact in their respective communities.”
Press contacts:
Caitlin Hornshaw, [email protected]
Marsh Abraham, Wave, [email protected]
About The Shorty Awards:
The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honor the most innovative work in digital and social media, by organizations in all sectors and sizes, as well as individual creatives and creators from around the world.
Founded in 2008, the Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of excellence in digital storytelling. Entries are judged on the merits of creativity, strategy, and engagement by the Real Time Academy, a body of hand-selected industry experts and leaders. The public can also weigh in and select their favorite Shorty Awards contenders during Audience Honor Voting. Notable previous winners include brands, agencies, nonprofits, media, and production companies such as Airbnb, Marvel Studios, HBO, HRC, UNICEF, Nestle, BMW, Paramount+, Digitas, Wieden + Kennedy, 72andSunny etc, as well as influential artists, scientists, authors, and activists such as Greta Thunberg, Bill Nye, Michelle Obama, Trevor Noah, Lizzo, Malala Yousafzai, Conan O’Brien, Lady Gaga and more. Currently, the Shortys have two annual competitions, the flagship Shorty Awards and Shorty Impact Awards dedicated to honoring the best work with a positive social impact.
About Wave:
Wave Financial Inc. (waveapps.com) provides one-stop money management for small businesses. Wave’s comprehensive platform includes accounting, invoicing, payroll, and payments software solutions, as well as bookkeeping services. Over 350,000 small businesses use Wave’s small business software. Wave has won awards for growth, innovation, and company culture, including Deloitte Fast 50, Deloitte North American Fast 500, KPMG Fintech 100, CB Insights Fintech 250, Canadian Innovation Awards (Financial Services), Canada’s Best Workplaces and many more. Wave is a subsidiary of H&R Block.
