Mona Liza Santos Earns Five Stevie® Awards Finalist Honors
National City, California – September 17, 2026 – Children’s author, publisher, and World Love Press founder Mona Liza Santos has been named a Finalist in five categories in the 23rd annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business. Her recognition spans social activism, social entrepreneurship, women’s advocacy, content creation, and children’s publishing, including a Book of the Year Finalist honor for The Filipino in Me: A Children’s Book About Identity, Belonging, and Cultural Pride.
Santos is a Finalist in five categories:
Female Social Activist of the Year
Female Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Women Helping Women – Government or Non-Profit
Best Female Content Creator of the Year – Other Industries
Book of the Year for The Filipino in Me: A Children’s Book About Identity, Belonging, and Cultural Pride
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run worldwide. More than 1,500 entries from organizations and individuals in 56 nations and territories were submitted this year for consideration in more than 300 categories.
Finalists were determined based on the average scores of more than 200 business professionals worldwide serving across seven judging committees.
For Santos, the five Finalist honors reflect different parts of a journey that began unexpectedly during the pandemic. She started writing with a simple desire to create something meaningful for her young son. What began at home eventually grew into World Love Press, an independent publishing company with more than 40 children’s titles centered on emotional literacy, kindness, confidence, resilience, belonging, and cultural identity.
“I honestly still can’t believe I’m seeing my name across five different Stevie® Award categories,” Santos said. “To be recognized for my books, social impact, entrepreneurship, content creation, and advocacy means so much to me. I’m humbled that the judges saw value in the work and mission behind World Love Press, and I’m especially grateful to my family, friends, supporters, and everyone who believed that my books and this mission could make a difference.”
One of the five recognized entries, The Filipino in Me, holds particular meaning for Santos. The book was created to help Filipino children see themselves represented in a story while encouraging young readers to feel proud of their culture, heritage, and identity.
Santos describes her journey into children’s publishing as something she never expected, but eventually came to see as a calling. As the books grew, so did the purpose behind them: helping children better understand their emotions, believe in themselves, appreciate where they come from, and know that they matter.
That purpose has also moved beyond the page.
In 2026, Santos pioneered Seafood City Chula Vista’s first-ever Kwento at Kulay event, helping launch a new community space for Filipino authors, families, storytelling, and cultural connection.
A proud San Diego local, Santos says representing the community where she was raised makes the international recognition even more meaningful.
“San Diego is home, and being able to represent the place where I grew up while also representing my Filipino heritage means so much to me,” Santos said. “I never imagined that something that began with writing from the heart would lead me here.”
Santos is also the founder of National Intentional Kindness Day, observed annually on August 24, and Heritage and Heart Day, observed annually on October 15. Both observances have been acknowledged by the Mayor of National City in San Diego County, California, and were created to encourage intentional kindness, cultural pride, family connection, identity, and belonging.
Her debut picture book, Mama, I Love You, has received recognition from several publishing and book-award organizations, including a Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold honor, three Purple Dragonfly Book Awards Honorable Mentions across three categories, Kirkus Reviews “Get It” status, and an A- rating from BookLife/Publishers Weekly.
Santos’s additional recognitions include being named a 2026 TOFA Awardee, a 2026 TITAN Gold Winner for Outstanding Female Entrepreneur, a recipient of the Dangal ng Pilipino Founder’s Citation Award, a San Diego Magazine Celebrating Women finalist, and being recognized by CIO Magazine as “The Most Iconic Female Personality to Watch for in 2026.”
She also serves as an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine, where she writes about emotional literacy, childhood confidence, kindness, identity, belonging, cultural connection, and human relationships.
Although the five Stevie Finalist honors carry her name and that of World Love Press, Santos says she does not view the recognition as hers alone.
“These honors also belong to the people who stood beside me, cheered for me, shared my books, came to my events, encouraged me, and believed in what I was trying to build,” Santos said. “There were people who believed in my mission before I knew how far it could go. I will always carry that with me.”
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements will be announced at the awards ceremony in New York City on Monday, November 16, 2026.
For Santos, however, the heart of the work remains unchanged.
“Kindness matters. Identity matters. Representation matters,” Santos said. “Every child deserves to feel valued, understood, confident, and proud of who they are.”
For more information about Mona Liza Santos, World Love Press, her books, and community initiatives, visit www.monalizasantos.com.
About Mona Liza Santos and World Love Press
Mona Liza Santos is an award-winning Filipina American children’s author, publisher, educator, and founder of World Love Press. A proud San Diego local, Santos is the author of more than 40 children’s books centered on emotional literacy, kindness, confidence, belonging, resilience, and cultural identity.
Her recognitions include five 2026 Stevie® Awards Finalist honors, recognition as a 2026 TOFA Awardee, a TITAN Gold Award for Outstanding Female Entrepreneur, recognition by CIO Magazine as “The Most Iconic Female Personality to Watch for in 2026,” a Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold honor, a Dangal ng Pilipino Founder’s Citation Award, a San Diego Magazine Celebrating Women finalist distinction, and three Purple Dragonfly Book Awards Honorable Mentions. Her debut book, Mama, I Love You, also earned Kirkus Reviews “Get It” status and an A- rating from BookLife/Publishers Weekly.
Through World Love Press, Santos creates books, educational resources, and community initiatives designed to help children feel valued, understood, confident, and proud of who they are. She also serves as an Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine.
About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, the American Business Awards®, the International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.
Media contact
Mona Liza Santos
Founder and Publisher, World Love Press
