CNN announces five ‘Heroes’ finalists, airdate for tribute show

CNN has announced that “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which honors everyday people who are making extraordinary contributions to help improve the lives of others, will run on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 8 p.m. eastern and Pacific.

This year’s Top 5 CNN Heroes were revealed Oct. 29, 2025, by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on “CNN News Central” and will be honored during the broadcast hosted by Cooper and CNN anchor Laura Coates.

Beginning today at noon eastern, viewers can support the CNN Hero who inspires them the most by voting for the CNN Hero of the Year.

Supporters can vote daily at CNN.com/heroes by logging in via email.

Viewers get 10 votes a day, every day through Thursday, Nov. 30, 2025. All 10 daily votes can be cast for one hero or divided among favorites and viewers can double their votes by sharing on social media.

CNN provided the following biographical information about each of the five finalists:

• Quilen Blackwell, Southside Blooms, Chicago, Illinois: While tutoring high school students, Quilen Blackwell saw all the challenges facing young people on Chicago’s South Side, so he started creating opportunities for them to blossom. Today, his social enterprise turns vacant lots into eco-friendly flower farms, employing local young people to grow, harvest, arrange, and sell flowers at his group’s nonprofit flower shop.
• Heidi Carman, First Responder Therapy Dogs, San Rafael, California: When massive wildfires hit California in 2020, Heidi Carman and her certified therapy dog made it their mission to comfort firefighters working on the front lines. Today, her nonprofit’s therapy dog teams visit first responders across the country, helping provide relief from chronic stress.
• Hillary Cohen, Every Day Action: Los Angeles, California: While working as an assistant director in Hollywood, Hillary Cohen enjoyed the gourmet crew meals served every day on set but was appalled that the leftovers were thrown away. Today, the nonprofit she co-founded rescues meals from TV and film sets and other businesses and delivers them to people in need, ensuring the food helps alleviate hunger and doesn’t go to waste.
• Debra Des Vignes, Indiana Prison Writers Workshop, Indianapolis, Indiana: Spending a decade as a crime reporter, Debra Des Vignes volunteered in a prison to better understand the people behind the stories she covered. The experience inspired her to start her nonprofit creative writing program that now helps incarcerated people in three states share their stories, process trauma, and build community.
• Tim Woodward, Animal Rescue Corps, Gallatin, Tennessee: As an animal welfare worker, Tim Woodward realized there was a gap in the system for responding to large-scale cruelt cases. Today, his organization mobilizes to rescue large numbers of abused animals from horrific conditions and give them a new start in life.

Each Top 5 CNN Hero will be awarded $10,000 and the CNN Hero of the Year will receive an additional $100,000.

For the fourth year, CNN Heroes is collaborating with the Elevate Prize Foundation, a global nonprofit on a mission to Make Good Famous, committed to bringing visibility to the work of changemakers and inspiring the world, according to the network.

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The Elevate Prize Foundation will grant the CNN Hero of the Year an additional unrestricted grant of $100,000 and provide the remaining honorees with a generous grant of donation matching funds up to $50,000 each, organizational capacity-building, and resources to bring visibility to their work and maximize their impact.

CNN has partnered with Pledge, a fundraising platform, to power giving for this year’s Heroes. Supporters can learn more and make online donations to the Top 5 CNN Heroes’ nonprofit organizations directly via the CNN site.

“CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” will broadcast on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español on Dec. 6.

It will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps. The show will be available on demand beginning Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, to CNN’s All Access subscribers and pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps and cable operator platforms.