DIVA Awards 2021 Winners
Did you miss the DIVA Awards 2021? If you’re not familiar, the DIVA Awards are an annual celebration of the work of lesbian, bisexual, and trans women across sectors such as the media, business, politics, sports, and more. It is also a chance to recognise the valuable work that allies have been doing to support the community.
If you missed the awards ceremony, you can watch it here:
But we’re going to have a rundown of who the winners! Spoilers ahead:
Corporate Ally of the Year - The Gaubert Brothers/myGwork
We are delighted and honoured to have won this year’s corporate ally of the year award. Through the work of our co-founders, Adrien and Pierre Gaubert, we have managed to build a network to spotlight, celebrate, support, and explore the LBT+ women community and topics that are important to them. We’d like to thank you, our members, for helping us and making our network what it is!
myGwork Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Quiyan Chen
Sponsored by myGwork, this award seeks to celebrate and recognise the work of a young entrepreneur who has done something for the community. The winner this year is Quiyan Chen, founder of Queer China UK. Queer China UK has come a long way to providing community support, workshops, and spaces for Queer Chinese people in the UK to come together, celebrate their culture, and share their experiences.
Lyra McKee Wordsmith of the Year - Stella Duffy
The Lyra McKee Wordsmith Award is named after murdered lesbian journalist and writer Lyra McKee, who was killed by sectarian fighting in Northern Ireland. In her honour, this award recognises the literary contributions of the winner to the community, and DIVA is proud to confirm that this year’s winner is writer Stella Duffy.
Sedulo Broadcaster of the Year - Rose & Rosie
Sponsored by Sedulo, this award recognises the contributions of broadcasters in the public eye for their contribution. This year, the winners are Rose Ellen Dix and Roxetera, who together make up the popular podcast Rose and Rosie.
TSB Awesome Ally of the Year - Lorraine Kelly
Sponsored by TSB, this award is for the ally that has helped to stand by, support, and uplift the LBT+ women community in their work. After much deliberation, the winner of the award this year is ITV’s Lorraine Kelly, just beating out RuPaul’s Drag Race co-host Michelle Visage.
DIVA Hall of Fame - Lisa Power
The DIVA Hall of Fame is a recognition of the colossal work put into community projects or work to benefit the community as a whole. This year, the honour was given to Lisa Power, co-founder and trustee of the Queer Britain museum, which aims to create a space to observe, study, and learn more about Queer history in the UK.
Film of the Year Award - Happiest Season
Congratulations to Happiest Season on snatching the award for the Film of the Year! If you haven’t seen it, the film is a holiday rom-com drama about a woman who just can’t come out to her parents, despite bringing her girlfriend over for Christmas. Starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis, the film was a hit.
Brand of the Year - Spotify
A chance to recognise brands that have done their part to raise awareness, run campaigns, and support their own staff, this award was given to Spotify for the amazing work they’ve been doing in the last year.
Unsung Hero of the Year - Chloe Florence
Recognising someone who has done so much for the community and yet not necessarily received all the kudos they deserve, or has been too modest to ask for any, this award seeks to rectify this. This year’s winner is Chloe Florence, from Stonewall Housing, who’s used her activism to fight LGBTQ+ homelessness and make real changes to the lives of those who find themselves without somewhere to live.
TV Programme of the Year - Pose
If you haven’t seen Pose, you need to. Set across the 80s and 90s, the show follows the world of the New York City ball culture at its height. A place for LGBTQ+ people, predominantly People of Colour, to gather and celebrate and compete for awards, the impact of the ball scene on modern culture, drag, and LGBTQ+ rights is largely unexplored. Pose addresses this by following a Ball family, as they rise up through the ranks to try and become Legendary.
P&G Influencer of the Year Award - Jack Monroe
Sponsored by P&G, this award recognises those who have used their social media platforms to achieve great change. This year’s winner, Jack Monroe is a writer and campaigner who’s activism includes campaigning for free school meals, writing cookbooks to help those facing food poverty, testifying in Parliamentary committees on the reforms that need to be made to the welfare system, and so much more.
Diversity Champion of the Year Award - Tolu Osinubi
The Diversity Champion award recognises someone who has worked to improve diversity in the workplace and in many ways has become the role model that many need to strive towards inclusion. Tolu Osinubi, from Deloitte, is an out role model for Black women in tech, working as a senior manager at the company. In her role, she has worked to ensure that diversity is well and truly on the agenda.
Rising Star of the Year - Rosie Jones
Comedian Rosie Jones took this year’s Rising Star of the Year award, as a recognition of the profile she has quickly amassed for herself since bursting onto our screens recently. Living proudly to raise awareness of the intersections of being LGBTQ+ and having a disability, Rosie is a role model for many and has well earnt the Rising Star award.
DIVA Choice Award - Lady Phyll
This award is recognition of the tireless work Lady Phyll has done to raise the profile of LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in the Commonwealth. This year, Lady Phyll has been especially vocal about the unfolding situation in Ghana and the rising incidents of LGBTQphobia against the community and has been sharing how we can be better advocates to help.
Sports Star of the Year - Chloe Morgan
Chloe Morgan takes this year’s Sports Star award. Balancing being a lawyer, a coach, sitting on the Women in Football board and playing for Crystal Palace FC’s women’s team, Chloe Morgan really has it all going on. Raising the profile of LBT+ women in sport, and bringing endlessly positive energy and passion to the topic, Chloe Morgan has secured her place as the Sports Star of the Year.
LGBTQI Network of the Year - ITV Pride
ITV Pride clinched this year’s award for the LGBTQ+ Network of the Year, which recognises the amazing work that Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) do to support their members and raise awareness in the workplace. It’s vital that all employees feel able to bring their whole selves to work, and congratulations to ITV Pride for succeeding in doing their part to help!
Musician of the Year Award - mxmtoon
California-based singer-songwriter mxmtoon exploded onto the scene in 2018 when her EP Plum Blosssom rapidly went viral, followed up by her debut album The Masquerade in 2019. Identifying as a “young bisexual woman of colour from a family of immigrants”, mxmtoon embodies intersectionality and lives as her authentic self in her music and works. For her work, she has been award the Musician of the Year Award.
Jackdaw Media Actor of the Year Award - Sarah Paulson
Jackdaw Media, or the DIVA Box Office, is a platform which is for lesbian, bisexual women, and friends to access media for them. Sponsoring this year’s Actor of the Year Award, the winner was actress Sarah Paulson, who’s career includes a number of LGBTQ+ staples, most recently as Nurse Ratched, in the Netflix series of the same name.
