Videos from the Asian American Stories Award Ceremony
On May 2nd, Asian American Stories 2024 Award Ceremony was held at H.L. Peninsula Restaurant in Milpitas. The event celebrated Asian American story tellers and kicked off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event also served as a moment of national unity, cultural exchange and inspiration.
Asian American Stories 2024 Video Competition reached its pinnacle. $20,000 was awarded to winners of the contest. More than 400 guests, more than 70 contestants, more than 40 partners, 15 judges, more than 30 elected officials, and more than 100 community and business leaders attended the event. Asian American Stories 2024 Award Ceremony was an event full of passion and creativity, bringing a grand awards ceremony to political and business leaders and AAPI storytellers of all ethnic groups to celebrate the arrival of Asian Heritage Month.
Asian American Stories Video Contest received entries from 72 contestants from all over California, including Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Southern California. Surprisingly, there were also contestants from Alaska and Boston, Massachusetts. The diverse backgrounds of the contestants include Nobel Peace Prize nominees, founders of the Global Peace Secretariat and participants in President Obama’s Challenge Program. The age range of contestants spanned generation, from children less than 10 years old to 94-year-olds, demonstrating the diversity and vitality of the community. Through Asian American Stories Video Contest, we wanted to promote cross-cultural exchanges and understanding, and enhance mutual understanding and respect among all ethnic groups.
The stories of Asian American Stories’ contestants are unique and cover different ethnic groups such as Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Burmese. The contestants bravely shared their stories, experiences and insights through their work. The entries are full of courage and passion, bringing enlightenment and inspiration to community members and inspiring them to pursue their dreams with motivation and courage. After a fierce selection, nearly 20 contestants won awards.
The award results are as follows:
First Place
First Place Winner of Asian American Stories 2024 – Tim (Jian) Zheng
Brotherhood Cup Foundation Youth First Place Winner – Vietnamese Culture Club
Second Place
Second Place Winner of Asian American Stories 2024 – The Chinese Women of the Delta
Brotherhood Cup Foundation Youth Second Place Winner – Samantha Quỳnh Hương Tran
Third Place
Third Place Winner of Asian American Stories 2024 – Jiayi Li
Brotherhood Cup Foundation Youth Third Place Winner – Abby Wu
Judges’ Special Merit Awards
Avalyn Wu and The Peace Messengers of San Francisco (Created by Cathy Chang)
Legendary Story Teller Award
Gerrye Wong
Early Submission Award
Romeo Morales
Viewers’ Choice Awards
WeDance and Samantha Quỳnh Hương Tran
Excellence Awards
Victor William Chen, In Memory of Don Sun, The Abalone Village, Dr. Xiu Bao Chang, and Dr. Arthur L. Jue.
Brotherhood Cup Foundation Youth Excellence Awards
Ethan Guan, Kaihua Skyler Chong, William Chui, Lauryn Chew, and Sophia Cheng.
Guests from all walks of life attended the event including journalists, writers, social activists, etc. Among them, NBC Bay Area News reporter Robert Handa. who served as one of the hosts of the awards ceremony. He invited Hong Kong-born world-famous chef and food writer Martin Yan to interact with the auction. The hosts also included Yin Chang, Min Thanh Tran, and Patrick Ahrens.
Behind the scenes of the event was a group of unknown heroes – event planners, volunteers, technical support staff, logistics staff – who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth running and success of the competition.
The Youth Ambassador Award honors young volunteers for their exceptional dedication. Include outstanding leadership, long-term commitment, and their potential to shape the future of Asian American storytelling and advocacy.
Youth Ambassadors Award went to Michelle Ahl, Ethan Guan, and Sophia Chen.
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Amy Zhao, Liyan Zhao, Chin Lin,and Alex Liu, for their exceptional contributions to the team for the Asian American Stories. Their hard work, dedication, and outstanding efforts have made a significant impact on our success. We are truly fortunate to have such talented individuals on our team, and we want to express our heartfelt appreciation for the invaluable contributions they have made.
Asian American Stories 2024 Video Contest received strong support and participation from all sectors of the community, including government agencies, commercial enterprises, social groups and individual volunteers. Among them, UCA provides a unique opportunity for the first prize winners, who will be invited to attend the National Chinese Conference in Washington, where they will have the opportunity to share their Asian American stories to an audience of thousands, allowing their voices to be heard more widely.
Young performers from various ethnic groups also added more fun to the party and their participation demonstrated the spirit of community, unity, cooperation, and common development.
The successful of the Asian American Stories Video Contest and the Award Ceremony injected a new vitality and impetus into the development and growth of the Asian American community. We believe that with our joint efforts, the Asian American community will usher in a brighter and more prosperous future and contribute more strength and wisdom to the communication and unity of the Asian community.
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