Queen Rania to Be Recognized at YouTube Live with First YouTube Visionary Award

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) YouTube™, the leading online video community for people to discover, watch, and share originally created videos, today announced that Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan will be the premier recipient of the YouTube Visionary Award. Her Majesty will accept this honor in recognition of her efforts – via online video – to rid the world of the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with Arab and Muslim communities.
 
 “YouTube encourages us to be active participants in a global conversation, making our voices heard, giving us the power to broadcast ourselves, increasing knowledge of each other, breaking down the barriers between us clip by clip,” said Queen Rania, “It is a pleasure to accept the first YouTube Visionary Award in this spirit.”
 
The YouTube Visionary Award was established to highlight those who use YouTube as a global platform for positive social change. As the site has become a destination for humanitarianism, philanthropy, education and public service, this award pays tribute to individuals whose videos advance these principles in innovative, thought-provoking ways.
 
“Queen Rania sets the standard for breaking down stereotypes and her YouTube videos are nothing short of inspirational,” said YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. “It is both a pleasure and an honor to present her with this much-deserved tribute.”
 
Queen Rania launched her YouTube channel in March 2008 to foster an open dialogue and combat ignorance and stereotypes. Her YouTube videos bridge the gap between Eastern and Western cultures by examining the increasing involvement of women in the Middle East workforce and by debunking misguided assumptions about Muslims and Arabs. To date, Her Majesty’s channel has generated nearly 3 million video views and received more than 43,000 messages from users around the world.
 
YouTube Live is a 90-minute celebration of the vibrant and diverse personalities from YouTube.com, featuring many of those stars sharing a stage for the first time. The event takes place November 22, 2008 in San Francisco, California at the Herbst Pavilion in Fort Mason Center and will stream live for a global audience of millions at http://youtube.com/live.
 
About YouTube
YouTube is the world's most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch, and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.