2025 Culture Award Shortlist

Rushani is a passionate storyteller who blends ancient wisdom with modern adventure, bringing the timeless teachings of the Thirukkural to life for young readers. With a background in education and writing and a deep love for Tamil literature, Rushani creates stories that inspire children to think

Steve is an active U.S. Diplomat serving in West Africa and term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has lived longer in West Africa than in the U.S. and enjoys storytelling that juxtaposes worldviews from those two regions. A former strategy consultant, Steve holds a Master of Business

A.P. Harper writes to make sense of the beautiful mess that is being human. Her work leans into themes of memory, identity, and the quiet spaces we don’t always talk about—but often feel. Whether in novels or short stories, she gravitates toward characters who are lost, searching, or on the edge of

Roxanne O'Connell has nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, focusing on economic and climate justice. Her short story was published in Free Spirit Collection: About the Environment, and her poetry has appeared in Wildfire Magazine. She holds a Master’s degree in International

Yia Vang is the author of In Yer's Kitchen: Memoir of a Hmong Daughter. This is her debut book which intertwines Eros philosophy with reflections on the journey of two women learning to see and honor each other as individuals through food and stories. Her writing explores universal themes of

Alia Luria's debut novel, Compendium, was published in 2015 and garnered several accolades, including the National Indie Excellence Award in Fantasy, the eLit Gold Medal in Science Fiction / Fantasy, an IPBA Benjamin Franklin silver award, and the Reader's Favorite Silver Medal in Fantasy. It was

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

Kate Grant is the founding CEO of Fistula Foundation, a US nonprofit organization. The Foundation has mobilized nearly 70,000 donors in more than 60 countries, raising over $150 million to fund more than 100,000 life transforming surgeries for women injured in childbirth and who are too often