Leading Ladies of Entertainment

The Leading Ladies of Entertainment is an annual event organized by the Latin Recording Academy, the same body that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, at which awards are presented to women "excelling in the arts and sciences, and who have made indelible impressions and contributions to the Latin entertainment industry." Award recipients are honored during "Latin Grammy Week", a string of events held prior to the annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. The accolade was established in 2017 by the organization to acknowledge the gender gap in the Latin entertainment industry. Gabriel Abaroa, then-president of the Latin Recording Academy, explained at the inaugural event: "Women face a myriad of difficulties in the entertainment industry, but despite those obstacles, the women we are honoring have continually demonstrated perseverance, fortitude, and grace under pressure." A portion of the sponsorships on the events are used to fund scholarships to young women studying in music. The awards were first presented to Marcella Araica, Leila Cobo, Erika Ender, Rebeca León, Gabriela Martinez, and Jessica Rodriguez.