The Queen of England honours Beautiful News founder

Beautiful News founder, Adrian Steirn, received the Commonwealth Points of Light award from the Queen of England on Monday, 11 March 2019. Also known for taking the last official portrait of Nelson Mandela and creating the 21 Icons project, the photographer has always pursued stories with purpose. The Queen’s honour was bestowed on Steirn for his voluntary efforts to campaign for wildlife conservation.

“To be awarded the Points of Light award is a great accolade and I deeply appreciate it,” Steirn says. “It is an award that represents communities of people that have touched me over the last decade of photographing Africa and speaks back to the value of our natural world and platforms such as Beautiful News.”

Beautiful News South Africa is a multimedia platform that publishes stories of hope and optimism every single day without fail. The films, photographic essays and articles have revolutionised the view of South Africa by offering a powerful counter-narrative to the negativity portrayed by mainstream media. The impact of Beautiful News has been extensive, with a reach of over a billion within the past two years.

Steirn’s devotion to documenting the goodness in humanity and the significance of the natural world offers insight into the importance of our coexistence for future generations. The issues facing our world are more complex than they appear, and require careful, nuanced storytelling. By sharing the efforts of ordinary people, raising awareness, and initiating necessary conversations, Beautiful News is driving the way forward.

For further information, contact: Beautiful News
Apollo Zake – Programme Director: Projects and Strategic Partnerships
moc.ycnegaogknig@ollopa T +27 (0) 21 419 3189 C +27 (0) 81 575 0844

About Adrian Steirn

Adrian Steirn is a photographer and filmmaker whose passion and knowledge of wildlife has taken him across the globe. His work as a conservationist has seen him document rainforests from Brazil to Uganda, mountain ranges of Nepal to the Caucasus, the plains of the Serengeti and beyond. Through the course of his career, Steirn has won multiple awards, including the Conservation Award from Les Jeunes du Monde Unis Awards, a global accolade recognising outstanding contributions in the fields of humanitarianism and ecology. His ability to understand and translate complex issues around conservation to a wide audience has led to Steirn being recognised as a thought leader in the field.

Website: www.adriansteirn.com
Facebook: facebook.com/adriansteirn
Instagram: instagram.com/adriansteirn
Showreel: vimeo.com/showreel

About Beautiful News

We are a vibrant, innovative, resourceful and warm-hearted people. A truth we often overlook. Beautiful News celebrates the extraordinary fabric of human nature that binds our nation by releasing one positive story every day at 4:14pm – the moment in time Nelson Mandela walked out of prison. Beautiful News’ founder, photographer and filmmaker Adrian Steirn, previously created the 21 Icons series, which profiled the iconic individuals who led the nation’s journey to democracy and helped to unite its communities. Beautiful News is made possible by Mercedes-Benz South Africa.

Website: beautifulnews.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/beautifulnewssa
Instagram: instagram.com/beautifulnewssa