---
title: "17th Shorty Awards: Warriors on Board Finalist"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/5b2d54c8-9e84-4eda-af1e-a8fbc376e299
source_url: "https://shortyawards.com/17th/warriors-on-board"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/business/stack/fa6d8bca-357c-476c-9ff5-cf91f01ffc2e
summary: "Warriors on Board is a Shorty Awards finalist campaign that bridges the gap between Gen Z and veterans through skateboarding, art, and mental health storytelling. The initiative partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and pro skaters to transform skateboard decks into canvases for veterans' stories of resilience and healing."
tags: "veterans, social-good, mental-health, skateboarding, gen-z, campaign, storytelling"
key_entities: "17th Annual Shorty Awards (event), Wounded Warrior Project (organization), Ryan Sheckler (person), Harley Meagley (person), Warriors on Board (concept), PTSD (concept), United States (location)"
classification: "reference"
content_hash: "sha256:d7d90fb631f0a5aa36d95c83c444d17877c34c43bf9ba10e91831d6bd8346eed"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 2649
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# 17th Shorty Awards: Warriors on Board Finalist

THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists! Campaign Brand Awareness Campaign Foreign Language Campaign Global Campaign Integrated Campaign Launch Campaign Local Campaign Multi-Platform Campaign Multicultural Campaign Rebrand Campaign Social Good Campaign Content and Media Blog & Micro-blog Brand Voice Branded Content Branded Series Contest or Promotion Copywriting Email & Newsletter Episodic Meme, GIF, & Emojis Micro-Site Single Post or Activation Use of Viral Content User-Generated Content Creator & Influencer Partnerships Instagram Partnership Multi-Platform Partnership Other Platform Partnership TikTok Partnership YouTube Partnership Design Animation Art Direction Audio & Music Brand Identity Brand Redesign Generative AI Graphic Art Images Website/App Industry Auto Business to Business Consumer Brand Education Entertainment Fashion & Beauty Financial Services Fitness, Health, & Wellness Food & Beverage Gaming Government & Politics Hospitality Insurance Live Events News & Media Non-Profit Pets & Animals Pharma & Healthcare Real Estate Restaurants Retail & E-Commerce Social Activism Sports Technology Television Travel & Tourism Wine, Beer & Spirits Overall Presence Meta Presence Multi-Platform Presence Other Platform Presence TikTok Presence YouTube Presence Platforms & Technology Artificial Intelligence Extended Reality Immersive Instagram Interactive Content Other Platform TikTok YouTube Podcast Art & Culture Podcast Branded Podcast Business Podcast Health & Wellness Podcast Lifestyle & Entertainment Podcast News & Politics Podcast Other Podcast Genres Podcast Mini Series Sports Podcast Technology and Education Podcast True Crime & Documentary Podcast Strategy & Engagement Brand Partnership Call to Action Community Engagement Creative Use of Technology CTV/OTT Data & Insights Earned Media Event & Experiential Gamification GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) Humor Innovative Media Buying Strategy Integration with Traditional Media Internal Communications Micro-Influencer Strategy Music & Dance On a Shoestring Organic Promotion Paid & Amplification Physical and Digital Convergence Public Service Announcement Real Time Response SEO & SEM Social Commerce Storytelling Video Comedy Video Documentary Featurette or Behind The Scenes Video Instructional Video Live Video Long Form Video Medium-Length Video Music Video Product Feature Video Short Form Video Vertical Video Video Ad Video Series Menu Register Login From the 17th Annual Shorty Awards "Warriors on Board" Finalist in Social Good Campaign , Social Activism , Instagram Partnership Entered in Contest or Promotion , Micro-Site , Multi-Platform Presence , Storytelling Objectives Veterans now represent only 6% of the U.S. population, down from 18% in 1980. For Gen Z, the gap runs deeper—they grew up after 9/11, disconnected from veterans’ experiences and the mental health struggles that follow service. Without those connections, understanding conditions that affect this population, like PTSD and depression, is often out of reach. Our team and the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) set out to close that distance. The mission: create an emotional bridge by focusing on skateboarding, art, and mental health—shared passions where stories of resilience and healing could resonate. For 11 veterans, words weren’t enough to capture the complexity of their journeys. Skateboard decks became their canvases, offering a raw, visual language for pain, survival, and hope. By spotlighting these deeply personal designs and partnering with pro skater Ryan Sheckler and U.S. Navy veteran and adaptive skater Harley Meagley, the campaign sparked meaningful conversations in digital spaces where Gen Z already spent time. Gen Z creators also highlighted the program, encouraging their followers to engage with the warrior’s stories and their unique artworks – for a chance to win a board of their own. This effort rolled out with the hope of connection through creation, bringing new audiences into the Wounded Warrior Project ecosystem through art that earned attention and generated passion and empathy.  Strategy and Execution To bridge the gap between veterans and Gen Z, Warriors On Board bypassed traditional narratives and leaned into cultural relevance. Creativity, authenticity, and mental health discussions guided the approach. The campaign launched on Veterans Day. Pro skater Ryan Sheckler and U.S. Navy veteran and adaptive skater Harley Meagley skated together at Sandlot Times, Sheckler’s private park. Their conversation on mental health unfolded naturally, with Harley’s self-designed deck serving as a visual anchor in a moment that blended action and storytelling, showing vulnerability in a space often constrained by cultural expectations around toughness. Influencers with authentic ties to mental health, skateboarding, and art therapy amplified the campaign. Their followers—predominantly Gen Zers—responded with genuine engagement. Each deck told a story through titles like “Silencing the Demons” and “Hope Grows,” with designs reflecting the raw realities of trauma and healing.  The campaign’s microsite, WarriorsOnBoard.org, serves as a hub for exploration. Visitors can read the veterans' stories, view their art, and, for a time, could enter a sweepstakes to win hundreds of the uniquely designed decks. The giveaway placed veterans’ narratives directly into the hands of young audiences, offering them a piece of the story to carry forward. Content rollout across Instagram and YouTube with influencer collaborations drawing in new audiences. Every creative decision aimed for emotional impact—the stories were raw, visuals striking, and calls to action personal. The month-long campaign maintained momentum by layering content that deepened audience understanding. Veterans weren’t reduced to symbols; their stories unfolded in full color, through their own art. This project turned skate decks into cultural artifacts, embedding veterans' journeys into spaces Gen Z values. Results Warriors On Board exceeded expectations across every target metric. In just one month, the campaign generated 12.8 million impressions on Instagram and YouTube and drove 819,000 engagements. The effort attracted 4,600 new Instagram followers, primarily Gen Z—audiences who stayed, engaged, and remained integrated into the Wounded Warrior Project ecosystem. The sweepstakes became a standout success, with more than 700 veteran-designed skateboards shipped to winners. Reactions came in fast—recipients posted, shared, and spoke about how holding these boards created a visceral connection with the veterans’ stories behind the designs.  Campaign performance eclipsed benchmarks for follower growth, video completion rates, and cost-per-completed-view. Beyond the data, Warriors On Board and our team achieved something harder to quantify: They handed veterans a new platform for their stories and placed those narratives squarely in the hands of a generation ready to listen, engage, and carry them forward.   Media Share this entry Entrant Company / Organization Name The Many, Wounded Warrior Project Link https://accounts19190.wixstudio.com/wwpawards Entry Credits Josh Paialii Managing Director, Creative at The Many Aimee Brodbeck Creative Director, Art at The Many Nate Totem Creative Director, Copy at The Many Michael Chessler Copywriter at The Many Mint Li Group Design Director at The Many Mia Bawale Designer at The Many Jay Hurst Junior Designer at The Many Maggie Cadigan Managing Director, Brand and PM at The Many Alli Adamonis Group Brand Director at The Many Kate DeMallie Senior Brand Director at The Many Hayley Gubala Associate Director, Project Management at The Many Jonathan Menager Senior Project Manager at The Many Kalei Mahi Group Director, Creator Content at The Many Ryan Tucker Manager, Creator Content at The Many Edwin Barrera Facilities/IT Director at The Many Cece Ortega Executive Operations Manager at The Many Kareem Cervantes Marketing & Communications Director at The Many Davis Jones Managing Director, Connections at The Many Crystal Chou Group Media Director at The Many Jacquie Alves Media Director at The Many Carly Austein Media Supervisor at The Many Alex Huang Digital Media Director at The Many Ailyn Ventura Digital Specialist at The Many Reza Rostampisheh Group Strategy Director at The Many Colette Ussery Social Strategist at The Many Gary Stentz Senior Director, Analytics at The Many Gabriela Elizondo Associate Director, Analytics at The Many Lucy Campos Group Director, Finance, Legal, and Business Affairs at The Many Studios Ayanna Hart Head of The Many Studios at The Many Studios Adam McGinnes Director/Senior Producer at The Many Studios Matthew Moraski Associate Producer / Director of Photographer, Remote at The Many Studios Beth Lyden Producer at The Many Studios Takara Joseph Production Coordinator at The Many Studios Ira Ingram DP at The Many Studios TJ Gaskill Camera Op B at The Many Studios Ryan Young Audio Lighting at The Many Studios Don Chon Director of Photography, Remote at The Many Studios Tom Trainor Director of Photography, Remote at The Many Studios Kristian Day Director of Photography, Remote at The Many Studios Branson Cusack Director of Photography, Remote at The Many Studios Tom Carter Editor at The Many Studios Anthony Acosta Photographer at The Many Studios Joe Robbins Director of Emerging Tech and Innovation at The Many Studios Jon Eaton VP, Complex Care at Wounded Warrior Project Dave Sonsky Content Marketing & Social Media Director at Wounded Warrior Project Judith Edwards Manager, Social Media at Wounded Warrior Project Jonas Harmon Associate Director at Wounded Warrior Project Ilana Shusman Senior VP, Business Development at Real Time Media Debby Hrach Director of Account Services at Real Time Media Matt Eustice Senior Project Manager at Real Time Media Dana Messner Fulfillment Project Manager at Real Time Media Jeff Oswalt President at 14Four Murphy Mumm Executive Producer at 14Four Sean Tyson Producer at 14Four Ambra Barber Production Lead at Point Distribution Partner at The Nine Club Partner at Sandlot Training Center Share this entry Share this Shorty Awards page  Tweet  Share  Email Share link