Glamour for a Good Cause at the Princess Grace Awards Gala

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Princess Grace Awards Gala at the Beverly Hilton. These awards were established more than 30 years ago by Prince Ranier III to honor his late wife, the iconic Grace Kelly. Each year awards are given in the fields of theater, dance and film.

This Year’s Winners

The Princess Grace Awards is a national program dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging theater, dance, and film artists who are at the outset of their careers or at early stages of professional development. Working in conjunction with nominating schools and non-profit companies, Princess Grace Awards recognize the talent of individual artists in theater, dance, and film.

These awards celebrate emerging talent in the arts, and this year’s winners are emerging talents in film making, play-writing, choreography and more. It is amazing the way Prince Albert and Princess Charlene have carried on Princess Grace’s legacy. They give back so much! I had no idea how many people benefit from these scholarships who might otherwise may never have been given an opportunity to showcase their talent.

Here’s a recap of last year’s Awards. Truly inspirational.

The Event

The night before the gala, The Princess Grace Foundation hosted a kickoff event at Paramount Pictures, the studio where Grace Kelly made many of her films. This event introduced the new Stephen Hillenburg Animation Scholarship, an award given to emerging talent in the field of animation.

The Princess Grace Awards themselves began the next night with a champagne reception where we could mingle and chat with other guests at the event. This reception was followed by the awards ceremony itself, hosted by Kristen Davis. We sat with friends and colleagues from the Bold and the Beautiful and had the honor of sitting at the table right next to the royal family.

In addition to handing out many scholarships and awards, special awards were given to Bridget Carpenter, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and James Cameron. We were even treated to a live performance by Sara Bareilles. A delicious dinner and live auction benefiting the foundation rounded out the evening.

Princess Grace’s Legacy

HSH Prince Albert got up and spoke about his mother’s legacy. It has been 35 years since Grace Kelly passed away, but her family continues to honor her name with this wonderful foundation. The Princess Grace Foundation has given out millions of dollars in scholarships, grants and fellowships. Some of those recipients have gone on to win Pulitzer Prizes, Tonys, and Emmys.