50/50 Supporter: Pixel Awards

The Let's Make The Industry 50/50 Initiative wouldn't be anything without the support of various organizations who pledge to work towards equal gender representation, primarily through its three pillars of award show juries, boards of directors and speaker panels.

The wonderful people behind The Pixel Awards fall under the first pillar, fielding a gender-equal jury for the second year in a row. Public judging for this year's awards is now open, making this a perfect time to catch up with the Pixel Awards about their support.

For those who might be unfamiliar, tell us a little about the Pixel Awards.

Anna Wester, Awards Manager: We are a leading international awards program, honoring exceptional design & technology since 2006. Our goal has always been to reward and elevate exceptional design and technology that help inspire and advance our industry. Our audience of makers and inventors - whether they are brands, designers, technologists or business owners - make some of the best work in the industry.

There are many different ways to support gender equality. How are the Pixel Awards committed to making the industry 50/50?

When we first learned about the 50/50 Initiative, we all thought “Hells yeah! It’s about time!”. Diversity is key, that’s the only way we progress and evolve as an industry.

Being part of the 50/50 initiative and staying committed to it, is super important to us and our entire organization. Not only because we want to lead the way and set a good example for others but also to support those who are still struggle with gender equality issues on a daily basis.

Besides an equal gender panel, we strive to feature a good mix of creative, tech and management. So you’ll see everything from creatives and engineers to community architects and producers. Each and every one of them have a part in creating today’s products and experiences, so each of their perspectives are important.

Last year, much like this year, our judging panel is 50/50 men and women. Who knows what we’ll come up with next year? Perhaps we’ll award the agency that best promotes gender equality in the workplace?

What have been your challenges in achieving this balance?

Maybe we’ve been lucky because we haven’t faced any challenges! There are so many amazing men and women out there that we’d love to have on our panel. The challenge for us has really been, how do we choose from all these amazing wonderful people!

If it were Wednesday on social media, who would be your #womancrushwednesday? Otherwise said, who are the raddest ladies you know?

Great question! We’re big fans of so many incredible women like Jennifer Lawrence, Lena Dunham, Malala Yousafzai and Sheryl Sandberg but I think one that we really truly love right now is Hillary Clinton.

If you could give one piece of advice to young women coming up in the industry, what would it be?

Set your goals and work hard until you get there. There will be setbacks, you will meet nay-sayers and you will feel exhausted but don’t give up, always keep going. Your path and learning outcomes mean the world, to all the other young women who are coming up behind you. Also, find a mentor!