Jose Miguel Sokoloff, and Obiageli Ezekwesili will select Genius 100 Inspiration Award Winner; Proceeds from the Genius 100 Category will go to the
Himalayan Cataract Project

New York, NY – February 2, 2021: New York Festivals International Advertising Awards® and the Genius 100 Foundation (G100) will partner to launch a new award to honor outstanding purpose-driven creative work that inspires action to create impact. The newly unveiled Genius 100 Inspiration Award will be judged by a panel of Genius 100 Visionaries from an impressive cross-section of fields comprised of an extraordinary group of 100 globally recognized, accomplished, compassionate minds.

“New York Festivals is thrilled to partner with the Genius 100 Foundation. Working together with this visionary organization that cultivates a global collective of brilliant minds dedicated to the expansion of new knowledge and solutions is the perfect partner to collaborate with to honor exceptional creative work,” said Scott Rose, Executive Director, New York Festivals Advertising Awards. “This special award will shine the spotlight on campaigns that inspire action and support the greater good.”

The Genius 100 Inspiration Award Executive Jury includes the following esteemed G100 Visionaries:

Obiageli Ezekwesili - Among her many accolades, she is recognized by Time Magazine as one of the time-100 most influential people and by New York Times as one of the 25 women of impact for 2015 and is the Co-Founder of Transparency International and Bring Back Our Girls.

“l wish the prestigious 2021 New York Festival the best and look forward to seeing how our Genius 100 Award will help further unleash the power of advertisement messages to help people everywhere connect-the-dots of our shared humanity.” –Obiageli Ezekwesili

Jose Miguel Sokoloff - Chief Creative Officer, MullenLowe Group UK and President, MullenLowe Group Creative Council, award-winning advertising executive and internationally renowned peace advocate.

“I have judged and competed in the New York Festivals many times. The quality of the entries has always been very high and winning is a huge honour. I am really looking forward to seeing and judging the entries for the new Genius 100 Awards.” –Jose Miguel Sokoloff

The Genius 100 Foundation brings together visionaries, philanthropic impact investors and its extended global community, collectively and in collaboration, to: re-imagine the future – implement creative initiatives to improve our world - raise the bar on what is achievable and make the impossible - possible. Founded in Toronto in 2017, and based in Toronto and New York, with a global footprint, Genius 100 Foundation is an active and engaged community of exceptionally imaginative and impactful human beings.

The Genius 100 (G100) Visionaries are comprised of an extraordinary group of 100 globally recognized, accomplished, compassionate minds. This group of global leaders, activists, innovators and influencers, in addition to 16 Nobel Laureates, includes Astronauts, an EGOT, Olympic Gold Medalists, Knight(s) of the British Empire, Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, Companion(s) of the Order of Canada, a former NASA Administrator, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada - and recipients of National Medals of Science, Humanities and Arts; Pulitzer Prize; Peabody Award; Albert Einstein Medal, and many more accolades and honors.

“We are honored to partner with New York Festivals Advertising Awards and establish the G100 Inspiration Award. This very special award celebrates truly inspired work which has created outstanding, undeniable and significant impact,” states Hilarie Viener, CEO, Genius 100 Foundation US. “Now more than ever, we must recognize how much we can gain from embracing creativity to influence positive change.”

Entries into the Genius 100 Inspiration Category will be reviewed by the New York Festivals Grand Jury, those entries achieving Finalist status will move on to the next round, top scoring entries will then be judged by the Genius 100 Executive Jury panel. A single New York Festival Tower will be awarded the inaugural Genius 100 Inspiration Award. To review the entry brief and to enter the Genius 100 Inspiration Award visit: HERE.

All entry fees for work submitted into the Genius 100 Inspiration Award category will be donated to the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP). Each year, with its network of local implementing partners, the Himalayan Cataract Project serves more than 1.6 million people with eye examinations and basic treatment, provides more than 123,000 sight-restoring surgeries, and facilitates training opportunities for hundreds of eye care personnel. In the past 25 years, HCP with its partner network has performed over one million sight-restoring surgeries, screened, and provided basic treatment for over 12 million people, and trained 18,000 eye care professionals from 43 countries.

The Genius 100 Foundation (G100) Gift of Sight Campaign will support the work of the Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) by partnering with the HCP, founded by G100 Visionaries, Dr. Sanduk Ruit and Dr. Geoff Tabin. Their mission is to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in the developing world – our goal – together – is help them to achieve their mission.

To view the Genius 100 Inspiration category, visit: HERE.

The deadline to enter the 2021 New York Festivals Advertising Awards is February 26, 2021. For more information on categories, rules and regulations or to review the 2021 entry guide visit: HERE.  To enter this year’s competition, visit: HERE.

About New York Festivals:  New York Festivals® Celebrating the World’s Best Work since 1957

Advertising Awards
AME Awards ®
Bowery Awards
Global Awards ®
Radio Awards
TV & Film Awards

Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.

About the Genius 100 Foundation:
Genius 100, referred to as G100, was born out of the centennial celebration of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (2016). To honor this landmark occasion, 100 of the world’s greatest minds were researched, selected, and nominated to contribute their vision of the future to the publishing of the first 3D book” Genius: 100 Visions of the Future.”  Founded in Toronto in 2017, with a global footprint, Genius 100 Foundation is an active and engaged community of exceptionally imaginative and impactful human beings. The Genius 100 Visionaries are comprised of an extraordinary group of 100 globally recognized, accomplished, compassionate minds. The Genius 100 Foundation brings together Visionaries, philanthropic impact investors and its extended global community, collectively and in collaboration, to re-imagine the future – implement creative initiatives to improve our world - raise the bar on what is achievable and make the impossible - possible.

The Genius G100 Foundation Mission:
We leverage the knowledge and resources of the G100 community to support impactful humanitarian and environmental initiatives through collaboration and funding structure.
Genius 100 Foundation is a registered Charity in Canada and 501c3 US

About Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP):

The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) is committed to eradicating unnecessary blindness with the highest quality care at low cost. Globally, 36 million people suffer from blindness –half from treatable cataracts. HCP provides critical eye care services, training for ophthalmic professionals, and enhanced eye care infrastructure where they are needed most. The organization and its global partners have screened over 12 million people, trained 18,000 eye care professionals from 43 countries, and performed more than one million sight-restoring surgeries, a life-changing procedure that can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

Contact New York Festivals: Gayle.Mandel@NewYorkFestivals.com