There is no other organization like The Women's Image Network, WIN, which collaborates with the media using advocacy to advance positive attitudes towards women. In 1993, WIN organized its first awards show The WIN Awards, to applaud and encourage media decision makers to dispel female stereotypes and to create dimensional female media images. Founded and fostered by Phyllis Stuart, WIN encourages positive portrayals of girls and women in film, television, gaming, and advertising.Today, The WIN Awards provide opportunities to understand media and to value women by supporting social and economic parity.

• Women represent 53% of the world's population and make 85% of the purchasing decisions, yet according to the UN Development Fund for Women, women perform 66% of work globally and produce a full half of food globally, but women earn 10% of what men earn and own 1% of global property.
• Just nine women lead countries, of the 190 worldwide heads of state.
• Women make up 13% of all worldwide Parliaments.
• In the corporate world women measure 15% of all workers ranging from C-level jobs to corporate board members.
• The Women's Image Network fosters media messages that increase the value of women and girls.

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feature article about The WIN Awards.

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About Light Productions / Women’s Image Network

Women's Image Network (WIN) produces The WIN Awards to shape positive public opinion about the value of women and girls by celebrating outstanding film and television that fosters powerful and dimensional female media images.

The WIN Awards celebrate both men and women in the media who promote gender parity through both their creativity and leadership. According to Stuart, “We produce The WIN Awards so women will achieve social and economic parity. If women and girls are portrayed well in the media, girls and women soon may be well-treated.

• According to the Huffington Post, 86% of films have no female writers and 77% of critics are male. This makes the movie industry highly imbalanced.

About the Founder

In 1987 Actress Phyllis Stuart founded this New York charity, Light Productions, Inc., as a 501c3 non-profit corporation which creates projects to enliven and encourage the community into social action. Light Productions also produces events and media to support other charities and has raised funds for The Mary Magdalene Foundation, Women’s Care Cottage, The Mission, American Cancer Society and others whose efforts range from fighting homeless, rehabilitating prostitutes, curing HIV/AIDS and cancer to rescuing exotic captive animals.

Operating in California as (WIN) since 1993 under the WIN banner, Stuart and her team have produced dozens of live events, film festivals, awards shows, television shows and films, employing media advocacy to encourage television, film and advertising artists to create work that create dimensional female media portrayals. By gathering and supporting the entertainment industry and applauding films and television that "Foster A World Where Everyone WINS™" we aim to achieve social and economic parity.

An NYU Tisch School of the Arts gradate, Phyllis Stuart performs, creates, produces and directs in theatre, film and television. As a producer Stuart began at the top as Creator and Executive Producer of the ABC Primetime Special 50 YEARS OF FUNNY FEMALES with hosts John Ritter, Annie Potts, Debbie Allen and Paula Poundstone. Next Stuart produced and co-starred in two television pilots I SPA with Laraine Newmanand GET INTO MY SHORTS with Seinfeld star, Jason Alexander. She has directed and produced two feature documentary films: BECOMING BERT STERN about the seminal filmmaker and fashion photographer, I THINK I CANNES about the wild world of the Cannes Film Festival and the short film NO DESTINATION with John Savage. Stuart just wrapped JUNGLE RESCUE a new television pilot which saves captive, exotic animals which Stuart co-hosts (with Emmy winner, Keith David), directs and produces.

About The WIN Awards

Stuart has served as a WIN volunteer and LP Executive Director, to produce THE WIN AWARDS a unique ceremony in which the networks and studios participate to help WIN honor deserving entertainment industry professionals who create dimensional portrayals of women in film and television.

The WIN Awards honoree and recipient list includes: Senator Barbara Boxer, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Cloris Leachman, Helen Mirren, Lauren Bacall, Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster, Jane Campion, Lynn Redgrave, Elizabeth Guider, Laura Ziskin, Lauren Shuler Donner, Tichi Wilkerson, Ralph Fiennes, Pierce Brosnan, Diane Ladd, Catherine Hardwicke and Gurinder Chadha among many more. Previous Event Chairs are Martha Luttrell, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda.

The WIN Award former hosts, presenters and participants include: Rachel Weisz, Katie Holmes, Seth Rogen, Jon Peters, Mary McDonnell, Frances Fisher, Harry Shearer, Sam Neill, Lili Fini Zanuck, Kathy Griffin, Sally Kirkland, (the late) David Brown and David O. Russell, among many others.

For WIN, Stuart also launched The WINFemme Film Festival which ran from 1999 to 2003. This femme-centric film festival promoted the careers of fellow male and female artists who create work featuring female protagonists OR who create films that were directed and/or produced by women.

Since 1993 our charity has leveled the playing field for women and girls by encouraging media artists to create dimensional female film and television images. To achieve equal rights and dignity for gender equality and women's empowerment are fundamental to our global mission. Equality for women and girls is also an economic and social imperative, because until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, peace, security, and sustainable development are in jeopardy.