{"id":29313,"date":"2017-12-18T14:23:28","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T19:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/creator\/?p=29313"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:25:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:25:40","slug":"7-inspirational-moments-2017-creator-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/7-inspirational-moments-2017-creator-awards","title":{"rendered":"Seven most inspiring moments of the 2017 Creator Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Year one of the <\/span>Creator Awards<\/span><\/a> is coming to a close, after seven cities, countless pitches, and millions of dollars in prize money going toward ideas with impact. WeWork’s Creator Awards started in Washington, DC, then crisscrossed the globe, from <\/span>London<\/span><\/a> to <\/span>Tel Aviv<\/span><\/a>, bringing together creators from all walks of life: artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, nonprofit champions. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on the past year, here are seven of the most impactful moments that will keep us inspired well into 2018:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Women Sweep the D.C. Creator Awards<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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At the D.C. Creator Awards<\/a>, the top three prizes went to organizations run by women. More than half of all the winning companies were founded or co-founded by women.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just after winning $360,000 for Byte Back, Executive Director Elizabeth Lindsey walked off stage and got on her phone. \u201cI couldn\u2019t wait to tell somebody the news,\u201d she said to the person on the other end. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to believe it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prize helped <\/span>Byte Back<\/span><\/a> continue its work providing computer training and career preparation for underserved residents of the DC area.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Engineer Realizes Her Impact in Detroit<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I actually remember almost not staying in engineering because I didn\u2019t think that I was having enough social impact.<\/p>Grace Hsia of Warmilu<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Grace Hsia, founder of Warmilu, won $72,000 at the Detroit Creator Awards<\/a>, it gave her an opportunity to think back on how far she’d come. She nearly left engineering, fearing she wasn’t doing enough good in the world, but luckily one of her professors challenged students to find ways to provide heat to people in areas without electricity. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hsia developed her class project into a company that makes safe, reusable heating packs that help regulate the body temperature of premature infants. Her product, the InstaWarmer, is currently used in hospitals and clinics in places that don\u2019t always have electric incubators, such as Kenya and Somalia. Hsia\u2019s story shows that any profession can create impact, and anyone with passion can be a creator.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Getting emotional with Brothers Empowered 2 Teach in Austin<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Larry Irvin doesn\u2019t hide his emotions, especially when he\u2019s winning $130,000 at the <\/span>Austin Creator Awards<\/span><\/a>. Irvin founded <\/span>Brothers Empowered 2 Teach<\/span><\/a>, which <\/span>recruits men of color to explore careers in education.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Though it is imperative that black boys start to see positive representations of black men in classrooms, it is equally important that kids of all races and ethnicities see that black men can and do teach,” Irvin says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was all bear hugs on stage and then teared up when he shared his powerful story:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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