Hollywood to Host Inaugural Diversity News Magazine Awards on August 22, 2026

Hollywood will welcome the 1st Annual Diversity News Magazine Awards 2026 on Saturday, August 22, bringing together entertainers, community leaders, advocates, fashion designers, media professionals and cultural changemakers for an evening celebrating diversity, achievement and community impact.

Presented by Diversity News Magazine, the inaugural event will take place at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre inside Barnsdall Art Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027.

The evening will feature an awards ceremony, live performances, a “Fashion for Unity” runway presentation, red-carpet interviews and the official crowning of the Diversity Pageants USA 2026 titleholders.

Featured Honorees and Participants

Among the notable honorees and nominees are Pepper MaShay, Kate Linder, Taylor Dayne, Vida Ghaffari, Bamby Salcedo and The TransLatin@ Coalition, Dr. Kevin A. Peng, M.D. and The House Institute Foundation, Lourdes Duque Baron, Renay Grace Rodriguez, Esq., and David C. Nguyen, West Valley Area Representative in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

The official show host lineup includes Esteban Steven Escobar, Publisher & Executive Producer of Diversity News Magazine; Dawna Lee Heising, Nancy Salim and H.E. Dr. Nathalie Beasnael as Co-Hosts; and Naiia Lajoie as Official Red Carpet Host.

Live Entertainment

The awards celebration will feature live performances by:

• Pepper MaShay
• Joy Marivic
• Jônia Queen

Fashion for Unity

The runway presentation will feature:

• BONIT GLAM by La Reyna del Glamour
• Gabriel Escamilla Fashion & Mask Designer
• Kandahar Market by Helay Ayoub

Diversity Pageants USA Crowning

A special highlight of the evening will be the official crowning of:

Nancy Salim — Mrs. Diversity News USA 2026
Dawna Lee Heising — Mrs. Diversity USA 2026
H.E. Dr. Nathalie Beasnael — Mrs. Diversity America USA 2026
Hasty Stella Poya — Little Miss Afghanistan USA 2026

Event Information

1st Annual Diversity News Magazine Awards 2026

Saturday, August 22, 2026
Red Carpet: 4:00 PM
Awards Ceremony: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
Inside Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

The event is open to the community and will celebrate individuals and organizations making a positive impact across entertainment, music, television, journalism, healthcare, advocacy, fashion, community leadership and the arts.

Tickets

Tickets are available online through Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1st-annual-diversity-news-magazine-awards-tickets-1990365937097

Media Contact

Esteban Steven Escobar
Executive Producer, Diversity News Magazine Awards
Publisher, Diversity News Magazine
(213) 321-9408