Indigenous model, actress, and land protector Quannah ChasingHorse will be honored next month at the inaugural Hollywood Climate Summit Leadership Recognition Ceremony for using her platform to advance climate action and environmental justice.
The Hollywood Climate Summit announced May 22 that ChasingHorse is among the first recipients of its new leadership awards program, which recognizes leaders across entertainment, media, and culture who are driving action on climate and sustainability issues.
ChasingHorse will receive the Amplifier Award, which honors “a cultural leader using their platform and influence to advance climate action and environmental justice for the next generation.”
The ceremony will take place June 3 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills during the opening day of the seventh annual Hollywood Climate Summit.
A Han Gwich’in and Sicangu/Oglala Lakota land protector from Eagle Village, Alaska, and the tribes of South Dakota, ChasingHorse has become one of the most visible Indigenous figures in fashion and entertainment while consistently centering Indigenous values, land protection, and Native representation in her public work.
A fourth-generation land protector, ChasingHorse has described her connection to her homelands and traditional ways of life as the foundation of her activism and career. She first gained international attention through a 2020 Calvin Klein campaign and has since worked with major global fashion houses while appearing on magazine covers including Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar.
She has also expanded into film and television, appearing in Reservation Dogs and Thin Places. Her short film Walking Two Worlds received awards and streams through The North Face channels.
Despite her growing visibility in mainstream entertainment, organizers said ChasingHorse’s work remains rooted in uplifting Indigenous communities and environmental advocacy.
“With all of Quannah’s accomplishments, her most important work is using her platform to uphold and uplift her Indigenous values and peoples,” the summit announcement stated.
Hollywood Climate Summit Executive Director Heather Fipps said this year’s honorees represent leaders pushing the entertainment industry beyond discussion toward meaningful action.
“We want to thank these honorees for the leadership they’re bringing to how we respond to and act on climate change,” Fipps said. “They’re innovating how climate issues connect with and are contextualized for the public, engaging our industry’s specific creative skills to advance the conversation, and building the resources, people power, and infrastructure this work needs to grow. That’s leadership we want to recognize, and leadership we want more of.”
Other 2026 honorees include climate scientist and author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences executive Meredith Shea, and Universal Entertainment’s GreenerLight Program.
The Hollywood Climate Summit runs June 3-4 and brings together storytellers, artists, scientists, executives, and advocates focused on climate literacy and sustainability across entertainment and media industries.