Beautyblender creator Rea Ann Silva to receive 2024 Hispanic Heritage Award for Entrepreneurship at the Kennedy Center on September 5

Stay tuned for more honoree announcements

WASHINGTON, DC  – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced today that Rea Ann Silva, founder and CEO of Beautyblender, will be honored with the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Award for Entrepreneurship during the 37th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards (HHAs) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Opera House on Thursday, September 5^th, 2024.  Silva will join Legendary Designer Carolina Herrera as Honorees.  Stay tuned for other Honoree, performer and host announcements.

The HHAs, supported by 40 national Hispanic-serving institutions, were established by The White House in 1988 to commemorate the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, which is why they are often known as “America’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.”

The historic HHAs will be broadcast nationally on PBS and are considered among the highest honors for Latinos by Latinos. Watch the playlist for last year’s awards HERE & Check out HHF past honorees.

“Rea Ann Silva’s path is a testimony to her entrepreneurial spirit standing on the legs of vision, boldness, resilience, and ganas,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of HHF. “We look forward to paying tribute to Rea Ann as an impactful Latina and all the 2024 Honorees through their accomplishments, cultural pride and great promise to this country and the world.”

Silva’s journey to success is a demonstration of her passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. As a proud Latina and Beautyblender’s President and CEO, Silva has opened spaces for diversity and inclusion in a predominantly white beauty industry, becoming a mentor and a role model for the next generation of entrepreneurs and makeup artists.

“It is truly an honor of a lifetime to receive such a prestigious recognition from my community,” said Rea Ann Silva. “I started Beautyblender as a way to put my own entrepreneurial touch on the beauty industry. This is something we strive to do every step of the way as a brand alongside our efforts to pave the way for future LatinX leaders in beauty.”

Rea Ann Silva’s experience spans a nearly 30-year journey as one of the most sought-after Hollywood makeup artists in the industry, working with Regina King, Vivica A. Fox, Kerry Washington, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Regina Hall, and Tupac Shakur, among others.  Silva’s portfolio also includes films such as “Friday”, “Money Talks”,  and “Idle Hands”, as well as “Girlfriends,” the very first television show filmed in HD. As a pioneer in the beauty industry, Rea Ann Silva has been honored at the Smithsonian American Museum of Natural History in the “Only One in The Room” exhibit, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Silva was also an honoree of Forbes’ inaugural 50 Over 50 list. During the ceremony of the Daytime Beauty Awards, Rea Ann Silva, received Tool of the Year for her incredible creation: Beautyblender.

The one-of-a-kind edgeless makeup sponge was launched in 2007 to change the beauty game in the film and television industry, ensuring celebrities, mostly of color, looked impeccable on camera in high-definition. To date, with a global presence, Beautyblender is a 9-figure cosmetics brand, becoming an essential tool for makeup artists and people of all backgrounds, inspiring confidence and self-expression through innovative products that includes not only the sponges but also cleansers, brushes, and makeup.

About the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF)

The Hispanic Heritage Awards serve as a launch of HHF’s year-round mission, focused on education, workforce, social impact, and culture through the lens of leadership.  HHF is a national nonprofit organization. For more information, visit www.hispanicheritage.org and follow the Hispanic Heritage Foundation on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.  Listen to the HHF podcast Fritanga on favorite streaming service and HHF YouTube channel.

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For more information on the 37^th Hispanic Heritage Awards, please contact John Reilly, [email protected] or Nicolás Peña, [email protected]

For Sponsorship Opportunities, please contact Jessica Herrera [email protected].