Kerry Washington Honored with Elevate Prize Catalyst Award at Sundance, Joins Nevertheless Docuseries as Executive Producer

by · PR Newswire

As democracy, civil rights, and creativity are under threat, Elevate partners with the Emmy-award winning actor and activist to tell the stories that matter – and to tell them with courage 

PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Elevate Prize Foundation presented the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award to Emmy Award–winning actor, producer, director, author, and activist Kerry Washington during the Sundance Film Festival today. The honor recognizes Washington's career-long commitment to using storytelling as a powerful force for democracy. For more than a decade, Washington has advanced that mission through Simpson Street Productions, the award-winning company she founded to expand whose stories are seen, heard, and valued on screen with past productions including Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere and HBO's Confirmation.

Kerry Washington announces she has joined Elevate Studios’ docuseries Nevertheless: Democracy Defenders as an executive producer, pictured alongside three of the four social impact leaders spotlighted in the series (L to R: Washington, Yordanos Eyoel, Hannah Fried, and Koketso Moeti). Credit: Randall Michelson for the Elevate Prize Foundation.
The Elevate Prize Foundation presents the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award to Kerry Washington, pictured here with Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina García Jayaram and Founder Joseph Deitch at the Sundance Film Festival. Credit: Randall Michelson for the Elevate Prize Foundation.