Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev Announces Winners of the 2006 WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Awards Association is pleased to announce the 2006 WOMEN'S WORLD WINNERS honoring twelve truly unique and extraordinarily talented women today. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the World Awards, will co-host the exclusive awards ceremony along with Teri Hatcher and other celebrity guests, marking the first time the gala event has taken place in the United States.

The WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS honor women from around the world whose achievements contribute to furthering self-determination, gender equality, freedom and the elimination of all forms of social and economic discrimination. Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone, NASA's Shana Dale, Claudia Schiffer and Susan Sarandon are among this year's honorees in the following categories:

WORLD ENTERTAINMENT AWARD 2006:

Whoopi Goldberg is being honored for her amazing versatility and unique talent, which has given women not just in Hollywood but around the world a new perspective in the entertainment industry. As UN Ambassador, she is actively involved in numerous projects supporting underprivileged children, the homeless, women's rights as well as AIDS awareness campaigns.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2006:

Susan Sarandon is being honored in recognition of her unique cinematic accomplishments. She continues to captivate audiences around the globe with her remarkable performances as well as her inspirational real-life persona. Ms Sarandon is also recognized for her vocal support for numerous important contemporary causes as well as her many valuable philanthropic contributions. She actively supports humanitarian causes, raising much needed funding for Africa and AIDS research as well as fighting for the causes of peace, justice and democracy.

WORLD CHARITY AWARD 2006:

Sharon Stone is being honored for using her fame to actively support numerous charities including the fight against poverty and AIDS. She has spoken out on important contemporary issues including women's rights and social equality. At the World Economic Summit in Davos she single-handedly raised more than $1 million for malaria victims in Tanzania. Ms. Stone has organized charities for the victims of the tsunami in Asia, is a spokesperson for the American Foundation for AIDS research (AMFAR) and was the star of this year's internationally acclaimed Life Ball in Vienna, Austria.

WORLD STYLE AWARD 2006:

Claudia Schiffer is being honored for the grace and style she brings to one of the most demanding professions. Her face has graced over 900 magazine covers around the world and her campaigns for renowned fashion houses such as Chanel have revolutionized the fashion industry. The German beauty understands the importance of giving back and has generously supported numerous humanitarian projects.

WORLD ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2006:

Shana Dale is being honored for her pioneering spirit, vision and commitment to exploring the fascinating realm of space. As Deputy Administrator of NASA, she is the highest-ranking woman in the history of the American Aeronautics Agency. She is co-responsible for the world-renowned space shuttle program as well as the future of manned space exploration. Shana Dale has proven beyond a doubt that not only is not just a man's world, but it's also very much a woman's universe.

Other award winners will be announced shortly.

The WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS will take place on October 14th at the Manhattan Center (Hammerstein Ballroom) in New York City. The grand gala ceremony will be taped for television and broadcast internationally. A television special will be produced by John Cossette, one of the leading show producers in the United States (annually producing the Grammy's).

"We are proud that the award winners have confirmed that they will personally attend the gala awards' presentation on October 14," said Georg Kindel, Chairman and Founder of the WORLD AWARDS. "With their debut in North America the WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS will, in the third year of their existence, firmly establish themselves as one of the most important annual global women's award."

"The WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS recognizes the vital contributions of exceptional women today and I am proud to host this spectacular gala that will be seen by audiences around the globe," said WORLD AWARDS President Mikhail Gorbachev. "Equality, self-determination and the end of social, political and economic discrimination are just some of the important women's issue that will be highlighted for international attention at the WORLD AWARDS."

SUPERFUND Investment Group presents WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS

The WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS are being presented by the SUPERFUND Investment Group, one of the world's leading managed futures funds providers with about 50,000 clients and offices in 16 countries including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hong Kong, Poland, Monaco and Austria. Says SUPERFUND's Founder Christian Baha on the reason for his leading investment group's support of the WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS: "We are happy to sponsor this important, prestigious event and its worthy causes, particularly the timely issue of women's rights. As a multinational company, we can do our part to make this event happen."

The WORLD AWARDS were established by Georg Kindel in 2000 in Vienna and have evolved into one of the most prestigious global awards. Among the previous WORLD AWARDS winners (honoring exceptional men) and WOMEN'S WORLD AWARD winners are such internationally acclaimed individuals as Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Ted Turner, Steven Spielberg, Dionne Warwick, Simon Wiesenthal, Donatella Versace, Michael Douglas, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Branson, Teri Hatcher, Linda Evangelista, Karl Lagerfeld, Sarah, the Duchess of York, Morgan Freeman, Luciano Pavarotti and Pope John Paul II.

For more information about the WOMEN'S WORLD AWARDS and its affiliate organization, the Women's World Forum, please visit http://www.worldawards.com/.