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On Monday, 1st July 2024, The Virgin Islands welcomed a new era and level of celebrating the accomplishments of Virgin Islands residents.
The Virgin Islands Icon Awards was conceptualised by Kareem-Nelson Hull and took a team of 16, four years to get it to a stage big enough to celebrate the icons at the right level they envisioned.
Their hard work paid off when 650 people attended the first show dressed in formal wear that rivalled gowns and suits found on the Oscars red carpet.
Inside the Multipurpose Sports Complex in Road Town, Tortola, 26 categories were presented for the first time. The categories captured religion, the arts, business, service, culture, media, music and more.
That night’s first awarded category—Religion/Spirituality/Inspiration—was a symbolic gesture for placing God first, a time honoured Virgin Islands tradition. The winner of the category was Dr. Arliene T. Penn who won for her work with her campaign Know>Fix>Live>Win which urges women to perform regular examinations to detect any cancerous cells in the body.
Dr. Penn, a cancer survivor herself, became the first winner of a Virgin Islands Icon Award in any category, making history and once again leaving her mark. Dr. Penn is a former Director of Communications for the Government of The Virgin Islands, a wife, a mother, a former pageant title holder, served on Student Government during her college career and has even held titles as a calypsonian competitor.
The Virgin Islands Icon Awards operates by a simple motto to “give people their flowers while they are alive”, and Dr. Arliene T. Penn received her bouquet in the form of a five-pound, custom designed, golden statue coupled with over 25 gifts donated by equally iconic Virgin Island brands.
That’s #VIconic !
