Inside the 13th Annual America Abroad Media Awards
In DC, where diplomacy often begins with a conversation, the power of storytelling to bridge cultures and challenge perspectives recently took center stage at the 13th Annual America Abroad Media (AAM) Awards Dinner, held at the Fairmont Hotel.
Bringing together global leaders, diplomats, and creative visionaries, the evening celebrated those using media to inform, educate, and empower audiences around the world. At its heart was a timely message: freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas are essential to building understanding across borders.
According to AAM founder and President Dr. Aaron Lobel, the international media non-profit was founded in the years after 9/11, reaches large scale audiences through innovative partnerships, and even produces original programming in the Middle East and elsewhere with leading channels such as Iran International.
Among the evening’s featured honorees (in absentia) was Saudi actress, writer, and director Fatima AlBanawi, whose deeply human storytelling explores the complexities of identity, relationships, and contemporary Arab life. Adrienne Arsht (accepting the award for AlBanawi) shared how she exemplifies creative voices crossing cultural boundaries and inviting audiences into perspectives beyond their own.
Internationally renowned historian Sir Niall Ferguson was also honored for his work bringing complex historical subjects to audiences around the world.
“I’m here because I continue to believe… that ideas can transform the world,” Ferguson said. “And although sometimes it can feel like a losing battle to engage in historical debate on television, on podcasts, in newspapers, in the bookstops… It can seem like a doomed enterprise, nevertheless I shall continue even in old age to do those things.”
The evening also recognized G42 and Bee:Wild with the AI in Storytelling Award for work highlighting biodiversity and pollinators, underscoring the evolving role of technology and media in bringing important global stories to light. And Netflix’s The Diplomat cast was lauded for its strength in exploring the personal and geopolitical pressures of American diplomacy.
“One of our greatest resources is the story of this country,” said Netflix The Diplomat show writer Debora Cahn. “My family are immigrants… The staunchest defenders of the idea of America are the ones who heard it somewhere else and went through actual hell or high water to get to it.”
Notable guests in attendance included UAE Ambassador to the United States H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, Senator Norm Coleman, author and former Marine Elliot Ackerman, Capital AI CEO Shaun Modi, SGBL Group Chairman Antoun Schnaoui, former Deputy United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, diplomat/ global affairs analyst Brett McGurk, and AAM Producer and Executive Vice President Esin Erkan, reflecting the gathering’s intersection of diplomacy, international engagement, and cultural exchange.
Founded on the belief that media can foster mutual understanding, America Abroad Media continues to champion the storytellers who make room for diverse voices and new ideas.
