Produced by Anna Nordberg, Photography by Robert Maxwell, Mary Ellen Mark & Jack Guy

Motherhood carries with it a bewildering calculus: You can't believe the love you feel for your child, and yet that same love extends for miles—a universe—beyond the boundary of your own family. For our first annual Smart Cookie Awards, we honor 11 mothers who have made a difference in the world for women and children. Some have given their whole professional lives to their causes; other simply saw a need and did something about it. But all these women—whether it's Maria Otero helping women across the globe receive life-changing loans or Mariska Hargitay aiding survivors of sexual assault—looked outside their own families to acknowledge a greater one. So go ahead, be inspired.