From trend and music to hospitality, entrepreneurship and philanthropy, Caribbean trailblazers are getting their flowers at this 12 months’s Island Icons Honors in Brooklyn. Caribbean excellence is taking middle stage in New York Metropolis this November. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Carib Biz Community will carry collectively among the Caribbean neighborhood’s most influential entrepreneurs, creatives, innovators and changemakers for the third annual Island Icons Honors 2026, a celebration of the individuals placing Caribbean expertise, tradition and creativity on the worldwide map.
Happening throughout Nationwide Entrepreneurship Month at Business Metropolis in Brooklyn, the extremely anticipated occasion will acknowledge Caribbean leaders whose affect extends throughout trend, hospitality, leisure, media, enterprise and philanthropy.
Supply: Picture courtesy of Carib Biz Community / Island Icons Honors 2026 Honorees
Amongst this 12 months’s standout honorees are internationally acclaimed designer Brandon Blackwood, Crimson Bull Thre3style world champion and DJ sensation DJ Puffy, and luxurious hospitality chief Janelle Hopkin, president and managing director of Grenada’s famend Spice Island Seaside Resort.
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Supply: Picture courtesy of Carib Biz Community / Island Icons Honors 2026 Honorees
However the celebration doesn’t cease there!
The 2026 honoree lineup additionally consists of some main names making waves throughout the artistic and enterprise industries. Sharifa Murdock, chief impression officer at Kith and co-founder of ENVSN; Edvin Thompson, founder and inventive director of THEOPHILIO; Sabrina Boissiere, magnificence entrepreneur and founding father of HUE Affair; Steven Baboun, Haitian multidisciplinary artist and founding father of Studio Baboun; and Vinay Harrichan, founding father of The Cutlass Journal, can even be acknowledged.
Supply: Picture courtesy of Carib Biz Community / Island Icons Honors 2026 Honorees
The Armstrong-Commissiong household can be honored for his or her contributions spanning enterprise and philanthropy.
Supply: Picture courtesy of Carib Biz Community / Island Icons Honors 2026 Honorees
Celebrating Caribbean Excellence Throughout 12 Classes
This 12 months’s celebration, themed “Salt + Gold,” guarantees a night full of Caribbean pleasure, inspiration and well-deserved recognition.
Greater than 100 nominees can be celebrated throughout 12 award classes, highlighting the unbelievable vary of expertise and impression popping out of the Caribbean diaspora.
Classes embody Excellence in Caribbean Storytelling, Arts Excellence Icon, Humanitarian & Schooling Affect, Music & Tradition Vanguard, Magnificence Business Trailblazer, Digital Innovation & Management in Tech, Well being + Wellness Model of the 12 months, Feminine Trailblazer of the 12 months, Male Trailblazer of the 12 months and E-commerce Model of the 12 months.
The Folks’s Alternative classes can even put the highlight on among the most entertaining and influential voices within the diaspora, with awards for Caribbean Comedy Creator of the 12 months (U.S.) and Podcasting Excellence (U.S.).
Among the many nominees are some acquainted and thrilling names.
Within the arts and leisure house, nominees embody Calibe Thompson, Tavares Strachan, Firelei Báez, Michaël Brun, Etienne Charles and Mickael Marabou.
The Music & Tradition Vanguard class additionally acknowledges the contributions of DJ and cultural personalities, together with CJ Milan, Dalise Lockhart and Dr. Jay, and lots of extra.
With so many gifted people and companies being acknowledged, the night guarantees to be a robust reminder of simply how far Caribbean affect reaches.
Extra Than an Awards Ceremony: A Celebration of Caribbean Tradition
Based by Dr. Nicole Grimes, Carib Biz Community has established itself as New York Metropolis’s main Caribbean enterprise hub. The licensed minority- and women-owned platform connects Caribbean, Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with schooling, assets, visibility and alternatives to develop.
For Grimes, Island Icons is about ensuring the achievements of Caribbean entrepreneurs and creatives obtain the popularity they deserve.
“Caribbean entrepreneurs and creatives are constructing among the most influential manufacturers on the earth, typically with out the popularity they deserve,” stated Dr. Nicole Grimes in a press release. “Island Icons places that impression on the document.”
Past the awards, friends can count on a memorable night that includes a pink carpet reception, awards ceremony and ICONIC Caribbean Eats of NYC, a particular culinary showcase highlighting a few of New York Metropolis’s most celebrated Caribbean eating places and meals manufacturers.
The occasion is introduced in partnership with Barbados Tourism Advertising and marketing Inc. (BTMI), Grenada Tourism Authority (Pure Grenada), the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and JPMorgan Chase.
Find out how to Attend Island Icons Honors 2026
Supply: Picture courtesy of Carib Biz Community / Island Icons Honors 2026 Honorees
Whether or not you’re a Caribbean entrepreneur, artistic, tradition fanatic or just somebody who loves seeing the neighborhood win, Island Icons Honors 2026 is a chance to have fun the individuals making a distinction. The occasion takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Business Metropolis in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets and media credentials can be found by way of the official Carib Biz Community web site at caribbiznetwork.com/islandicons-2026. As Caribbean entrepreneurs, artists, innovators and cultural leaders proceed to make their mark all over the world, Island Icons Honors 2026 is making one factor clear: Caribbean excellence deserves to be celebrated, acknowledged and remembered. And this November, Brooklyn is the place the celebration occurs!
Try the total listing of honorees throughout all 12 award classes under.
Excellence in Caribbean Storytelling
Ralph Thomassaint Joseph
Kyle Denis
Stephanie Ramlogan
Brigid Washington
Alica Ramkirpal-Senhouse
Dean Huertas
Simone Mills
Natalie Preddie
Yolanda T. Marshall
Arts Excellence Icon
Calibe Thompson
Andrew Clarke
Tavares Strachan
Firelei Báez
Eljon Wardally
Yvena Despagnes
Dr. Shola Okay. Roberts
Tanya Weddemire
Anishka Clarke and Niya Bascom
Malene Barnett
King Kayak
Charles Philippe Jean-Pierre
Reyna Noriega
Stevenson Dunn Jr.
Humanitarian & Schooling Affect
Mohamed Q. Amin
Irwine G. Clare Sr.
George Espinal
Karmia Berry
Ann-Marie Grant
Marlon Hill
Andre McDowell
Jose Vilson
Music & Tradition Vanguard
Michaël Brun
CJ Milan
Etienne Charles
Sytheche and Robert “Bobby” Clarke
Mickael Marabou
Michael Hospedales
Shawn Gregg and Damian Garcia
Dalise Lockhart
Frederick Morton
Dr. Jay
Magnificence Business Trailblazer
Kayla Greaves
Keanda “Keys” Vivar
Naeemah LaFond
Jaleesa Jaikaran
Karen Younger
Ursula Stephen
Maekaeda Gibbons
Janel Sealy Smith
Kenidia D. Quiñones Alamo
Digital Innovation & Management in Tech
Justin Elliott
Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey
Ingrid Riley
PetaGaye Clarke
Carmelle Cadet
Jessica Santana
Bevon Joseph
Christine Souffrant Ntim
Well being + Wellness Model of the 12 months
Dr. Chelece Brown — Caribbean Psychological Well being Summit
Krista Martins — Wukkout!
Sweet Calderón — Glow Wellness Tour
Ashley Alana — Caribbean Wellness Listing
Etienne Maurice — WalkGood LA
Selena Watkins — Socanomics
Nzingah Oniwosan — Sure Child I Like It Uncooked
Massy Arias — MA Warrior
Karlyn Percil — KDPM Consulting Group
Janessa Smith and Diallo Smith — Sanctuary Wellness Middle
Dixie Lincoln-Nichols and Monique Cupid — Life In The Pause
Feminine Trailblazer of the 12 months
Sunshine Foss
Angy Abreu
Allison Dunn
Nina Compton
Lexi Chow
Rachel Scott
Melissa Noel
Judith Joseph
Wanda Tima
Vanessa James
Dr. Shelly Ann Gadjupar
Male Trailblazer of the 12 months
David Mullings
Gary Coichy
Prince Forde
Marlon Nichols
Daveed Baptiste
Eddy Cruz
Chef Andre Fowles
Antonio Bowen
Dr. Invoice Tinglin
Jon Buret
Jude Bernard
E-commerce Model of the 12 months
West Indies Peppa Sauce (WIPS) — Randy and Shauna Vo Pulayya
Mabï Artisanal Tea — Jerry Grammont and Erica Ortiz-Grammont
Saint Sauveur 1972 — Melky Jean
Pisqueya — Maritza Abreu
OCOA — Cory Varona-Corniel and Nicol Varona Cancelmo
Rep JA — Omar Thomas and Prince Graham
Caribe & Co. — Savannah Campbell
Frangipani Palm — Victoria Gordon
Jam & Rico — Lisette Scott
Sammy B — Samantha Black
The Paradise Suite — Damon DeGraff
Maureen Simon Meals — Maureen Simon
Folks’s Alternative Caribbean Comedy Creator of the 12 months U.S.
Vikki “Diamond Pure” Babb
Chanelle “Nelly So Humorous” Graham
Dillon Mac
Jessie Woo
Shaquille “Shiggy” Mitchell
Julie Mango
Dale Elliott Jr.
Success Jr
Elizabeth Brunot
Suveer Ramsook
Ayanna Dookie
Sejoe
Kervo Dolo
Marcello Hernández
KaydaBosse
Majah Hype
King Vader
Jenny Lorenzo
Malik S.
Chelo Chelo
Folks’s Alternative Podcasting Excellence U.S.
Let’s Discuss Di Tings — Ash
Victory Mild with The Child Mero — The Child Mero, Lizbel Ortiz and Rainey Ovalle
Journey to Launch — Jamila Souffrant
Yo Quiero Dinero — Jannese Torres
Facet Hustle Professional — Nicaila Matthews Okome
Strictly Info — Alexandria Miller
La Brega — Alana Casanova-Burgess
JEL – The Soca Boss — DJ JEL
Carry On Associates — Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown
WeSurf Podcast — Kwame LaBassiere
Jess A Couple Issues — Jessie Woo
Masacote — Chente Ydrach
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