Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy and the U.S. Department of State present the annual Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy to recognize practitioners who create innovative solutions to vital challenges in contemporary public diplomacy. The award is endowed by Goli Ameri, entrepreneur and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

	Watch: Andrea Stanford Shares "What Nobody Tells You About Working Across Cultures"   Stanford shares honest stories from her career, including campaigns that unexpectedly worked, ideas that failed and the lessons behind both.
	Andrea Stanford Named 2025 Ameri Prize Recipient   As Press Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Stanford led groundbreaking initiatives including digital platforms to eliminate illegal immigration and turned a small pilot into trusted global channels.
	Watch: Morgan O'Brien and the Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy   O'Brien discusses his innovative work as an Industry Liaison for the Bureau of Consular Affairs.
	2024 Ameri Prize Recognizes Morgan O'Brien for Innovative Campaign to Transform Visa Processes   O'Brien designed a strategy that transformed perceptions of U.S. visa processing from a source of frustration into a symbol of America’s openness for business.
	Watch: Alexander Hunt On Integrating AI into Embassy's Public Diplomacy Workflows   Hunt explores how AI can be used to supplement human ingenuity, rather than replace it.
	2023 Ameri Prize Recognizes Innovative Use of Artificial Intelligence at the U.S. Embassy in Guinea   Hunt led the charge to integrate AI into the embassy’s public diplomacy workflows, test drive AI, and advocate for its adoption across the State Department.
	Watch: Alys Spensley on Expanding Engagement Through Strategic Planning   Spensley discussed the need for strategically planning and thinking to engage with foreign publics, tell America’s story, and listen to feedback from audiences.
	USC Awards 2022 Ameri Prize to Alys Spensley   Spensley was awarded for her use of data, social media analytics and teamwork at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to radically expand engagement with Chinese audiences.
	Watch: Gretchen Franke and Chad Houghton Discuss Countering Disinformation   Franke and Houghton discussed their innovative use of data and technology to create a customized disinformation solution.
	Inaugural Ameri Prize Recognizes Gretchen Franke and Chad Houghton   The two diplomats implemented a public diplomacy program focusing on countering disinformation in Poland.
	Goli Ameri Endows Public Diplomacy Innovation Prize   The former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs endowed the prize to ensure it could continue in perpetuity.
	CPD Launches Inaugural Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy   CPD and the U.S. State Department launched the prize in 2021 to recognize programs and practices that create innovative solutions to vital challenges in contemporary public diplomacy.