Shakira Honored with Second Annual 'Telemundo Innovation Award' at TECLA AWARDS

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and Hispanicize 2017, the largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in journalism, blogging, marketing, entertainment and tech entrepreneurship, today announced world-renowned singer-songwriter Shakira as the recipient of the "Telemundo Innovation Award." The award was conceived by Telemundo last year to honor an individual innovator whose work has explored new trends, showcased pioneering spirit and greatly impacted society. Its first installment was awarded to His Holiness, Pope Francis. The announcement was made in partnership with the Hispanicize 2017 Advisory Board at the Tecla Awards last night, from the Olympia Theater in Miami, FL.

This year, Shakira was selected for her global appeal, record breaking social media presence and an authentic engagement with her fan base. She is the first person to reach 100 million Facebook fans. Beyond Facebook, Shakira uses her social presence for promoting good in the world, connecting fans across the globe, and inviting followers to get a look into her life. Through her "Pies Descalzos Foundation" (Barefoot Foundation), she has built several schools in Colombia to expand education in displaced and vulnerable communities throughout her native country.

"At NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, we are fully committed to empowering the Hispanic community and acknowledging those who use their success to be a resource and catalyst for positive change," said Borja Perez, Senior Vice President, Digital & Social Media, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. "It is an honor for us to celebrate Shakira's groundbreaking achievements and genuine engagement with her fans across the world."

"Shakira is an incredibly worthy successor to Pope Francis for the Innovation Award not just because of her monumental global following on social media but because of her deep commitment to leveraging her social media platforms for social good," said Manny Ruiz, CEO and founder of the Hispanicize Media Group company that owns the event.

The inaugural 2016 Telemundo Tecla for Digital Innovation was awarded to Pope Francis for his innovative work with the Scholas Ocurrentes Foundation, connecting technology with arts and sports programs in order to promote social integration, especially in poorer communities. The award was hand delivered to the Vatican by Telemundo and Hispanicize executives.

The Tecla Awards recognize excellence in the digital multicultural space, showcasing increasingly sophisticated and impressive work achieved by Latinos ranging from bloggers, influencers, journalists, brands and agencies among others. The event is part of Hispanicize, and was named after the Spanish-language word for an individual key on a keyboard. The event features 26 categories focused on innovators, creators and brands as well as the agencies and media companies fostering Latino content creation.

To post a comment, you must register and login.