A pioneering event born from a simple belief — that Asian excellence deserves to be celebrated on the world stage.
The Asian Awards were born out of a simple vision: to create an event that would honour only the very highest levels of achievement from within the worldwide Asian community — to create one of the most important events of its kind ever to be staged.
A pioneering, unique and prestigious event, The Asian Awards is the only event that pays tribute to Asian success across all walks of life; emphasising inspiring achievements and highlighting inspirational role models in the fields of business, sport, entertainment, philanthropy and popular arts and culture.
The inaugural Asian Awards was held on 26th October 2010 at the Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London. Presented by Lord Sebastian Coe KBE, the awards saw world leaders attend to celebrate achievement and excellence amongst the Asian community.
Distinguished guests included Deputy Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP, Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha OBE, and Christian Louboutin.
Winners that evening included Sachin Tendulkar, AR Rahman, Dr Vijay Mallya, Yash Chopra and George Alagiah OBE.
"We were delighted at the incredible success of the inaugural Asian Awards. Through The Asian Awards we have begun to build a legacy for the South Asian community and through the achievements of our winners, to inspire the millions of us who strive to be the best we can."
Paul Sagoo OBE, Founder — The Asian Awards
Although in the first two years the Asian Awards' primary geographical focus was South Asia, it was always the intention to define "Asian" as encompassing all Asian countries — both South Asia and Far Eastern Asia.
At the 3rd Asian Awards in 2013, the event honoured excellence from all Asian countries — over 25 in total. The move was incredibly well received, with global icons such as musician Nicole Scherzinger and the legendary Bruce Lee being honoured posthumously.
At the 5th Awards, #TheAsianAwards trended at Number 1 worldwide for over 3 hours, creating over 9 billion impressions — a record for a non-western event.