The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person must go through an entry process. Helen Hernandez is president of the Imagen Foundation.
History
In 1983, Helen Hernandez met with prolific television writer and producer Norman Lear. "Lear was acutely aware of the near absence of positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry and understood the importance of positive images. The two met with leaders of the National Conference for Community and Justice, a respected non-sectarian human relations organization committed to fighting prejudice and racial tensions".
The result was the Imagen Foundation Awards competition (or Imagen Awards), established in 1985.
Past honorees include such entertainment industry professionals as Andy García, Antonio Banderas, Phil Roman, Edward James Olmos, Bill Melendez, Rita Moreno, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez and Héctor Elizondo.