CNN Heroes


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. 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.

Heroes

2007

The 18 CNN Heroes finalists for 2007 were :
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 were :
The Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2009 were :
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010 :
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.

2011

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2011 :
The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2012 :
The 3 Young Wonders of 2012 :
  • Cassandra Lin
  • Will Lourcey
  • Jessica Rees

    2013

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013 :
  • 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
  • Estella Pyfrom, creator of "Estalla's Brilliant Bus"
  • Laura Stachel

    2014

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014 :
The 3 Young Wonders of 2014 :
  • Lily Born
  • Maria Keller, Read Indeed,
  • Joshua Williams, Joshua's Heart

    2015

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2015:
  • Maggie Doyne, of New Jersey, United States: 2015 CNN Hero of the year
  • Jim Withers, United States
  • Monique Pool, of Suriname
  • Richard Joyner, United States
  • Sean Gobin, United States
  • Bhagwati Agrawal, India
  • Kim Carter, United States
  • Rochelle Ripley, United States
  • Jody Farley-Berens
  • Daniel Ivankovich, United States

    2016

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2016:
  • Jeison Aristizábal of Cali, Colombia: 2016 CNN Hero of the year
  • Craig Dodson, United States
  • Sherri Franklin, United States
  • Brad Ludden, United States
  • Luma Mufleh, United States
  • Georgie Smith, United States
  • Umra Omar, Kenya
  • Sheldon Smith, United States
  • Becca Stevens, United States
  • Harry Swimmer, United States
  • '''Pushpa Basnet, of Kathmandu, Nepal: 10th Anniversary CNN SuperHero'''

    2017

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2017:
  • Stan Hays
  • Samir Lakhani
  • Jennifer Maddox
  • Rosie Mashale
  • Andrew Manzi
  • Leslie Morissette
  • Mona Patel
  • Khali Sweeney
  • Aaron Valencia
  • '''Amy Wright: 2017 CNN Hero of the year'''

    2018

The top 10 CNN Heroes of 2018:
  • Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin
  • Maria Rose Belding
  • Amanda Boxtel
  • Rob Gore
  • Luke Mickelson
  • Susan Munsey
  • Florence Phillips
  • Ricardo Pun-Chong: 2018 CNN Hero of the Year
  • Ellen Stackable
  • Chris Stout

    2019

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:
The 4 Young Wonders of 2019 :
  • 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.
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.
The nonprofit organizations highlighted included:
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The 3 Young Wonders of 2020 :
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    2021

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 -
  • Lynda Doughty, United States -
  • David Flink, United States -
  • Dr. Patricia Gordon, United States -
  • Hector Guadalupe, United States -
  • Michele Neff Hernandez, United States -
  • Zannah Mustapha, Nigeria -
  • Shirley Raines, United States -
  • Made Janur Yasa, Indonesia -
Young Wonders recognized included:
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:
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
Honorees included:
  • Yasmine Arrington Brooks - ScholarCHIPS – Washington DC
  • Osei Boateng - OBK Hope Foundation – Somerset, NJ and Ghana
  • Stacey Buckner - Off-Road Outreach – Fayetteville, NC
  • Mike Goldberg - I.CARE – Islamorada, FL
  • 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
Young Wonders recognized included:
  • 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:
  • Ron Davis Alvarez, Dream Orchestra – Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Stephen Knight, Dogs Matter – Dallas, TX
  • Payton McGriff, SHE – Moscow, ID & Nôtse, Togo
  • Rachel Rutter, Project Libertad – Phoenixville, PA
  • Yamilée Toussaint, STEM From Dance – Brooklyn, NY
Young Wonders recognized included:
  • 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 was nominated for Outstanding Soft Feature Story: Short Form.
In 2020, the program's director, Brett Kelly, received the inaugural Outstanding Direction 41st [News & Documentary Emmy Awards|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.