Yara Shahidi

The 25th Annual Webby Awards is honored to recognize Yara Shahidi with the inaugural Webby Special Achievement Award selected by the NAACP and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for her longstanding commitment to utilizing the Internet and her influence to vocalize issues that impact the Black community and BIPOC communities at large, and educates her audience on political issues and the voting process.

This first-ever Special Achievement Award was selected by a committee chaired by the NAACP and IADAS, and aims to honor a recipient who uses their online platform to amplify their commitment to social justice advocacy. From using social media to disseminate poignant messages to activating a movement by using digital tools, the recipient of the award will embody a drive to energize diverse communities and create lasting social change for the betterment of society. 

As an artist and activist, Yara Shahidi has long used her online platform to foster meaningful change. In 2020, throughout the Presidential and Senate elections, she hosted a series of interviews on Instagram Live with activists, politicians, and organizers focused on voting rights. Yara is a great inspiration for Gen Z and Millenials on how to leverage the Internet to enact social change. No one is more fitting of this recognition, and for this reason it is our great privilege to honor Yara Shahidi with the first-ever Webby Advocate of the Year.