31st APAICS Annual Awards Gala
The APAICS Annual Awards Gala is the culmination of our nation’s recognition of Asian American & Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) Heritage Month in May, a celebration of the culture, traditions, history, and contributions of AA & NH/PIs in the United States. We expect more than 1,200 attendees from across the country, including community, business, and political leaders.
The gala is the largest gathering of AA & NH/PI elected officials and government appointees at the federal, state, and local levels. Past speakers and awardees at the dinner include President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Senator Mazie Hirono, Representative Judy Chu, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, Martha Choe, Deepa Iyer, George Takei, Daniel Dae Kim, and Randall Park, among others.
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Location: Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Allen Y. Lew Place, NW Washington, DC 20001
Honorary Co-Chairs
This year, APAICS is proud to welcome Senator Andy Kim (NJ) and Representative Judy Chu (CA-28) as honorary co-chairs of the 31st Annual Awards Gala.
2025 Awardees
This year's Gala will honor five awardees for their outstanding contributions to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. Click on each awardee's headshot to read more about them.
Vicky Nguyen
Vision Awardee
The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Community Leadership Achievement Awardee
Lieutenant Colonel Kamal S. Kalsi, D.O., FACEP
Civic Engagement Awardee
Susan Jin Davis
Stewardship Awardee
Krystal Ka‘ai Hetherington
Pioneer Awardee
2025 Gala Performer
For one night only, thủy will light up the stage at the perform at the Annual Awards Gala!
Bay Area native thủy is redefining the pop R&B space with her distinctive voice, heartfelt songwriting, and rich Vietnamese heritage. She burst onto the scene in 2021 with her debut EP i hope u see this and its breakout single “universe.” In 2022, her follow-up EP girls like me don’t cry captured global attention and set the stage for a breakout year in 2023. The title track became a viral phenomenon, generating over 10 million TikTok videos, 3 billion YouTube Shorts views, and more than 30 million views on YouTube, earning a spot on TikTok’s Top 10 Global Songs of 2023.
Her star continues to rise with sold-out international tours, major festival appearances, and brand collaborations with Google, Sony, Samsung, Levi’s, McDonald’s, Crocs, PUMA, and more. In 2023, thủy made history as the first Vietnamese American artist on the official Coachella lineup. As a trailblazer, she has been featured in fashion editorials such as Vogue, L’Officiel, and more. She continues to represent her culture on a global stage, earning recognition from People Magazine’s #1 Emerging Artists to Watch (2022) and Vevo DSCVR’s Artist to Watch (2023), along with praise from Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Nylon, Harper’s Bazaar, and others.
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