Dubai vlogger Supercar Blondie wins international award alongside Trevor Noah and Greta Thunberg

Dubai resident and car influencer Alexandra Mary Hirschi, also known as Supercar Blondie, has been given the title of Best Breakout YouTuber at the Shorty Awards.

The winners – who included comedian Trevor Noah, environmentalist Greta Thunberg and actress Jameela Jamil – were announced on Sunday during a digital ceremony streamed on Periscope and YouTube.

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The annual awards celebrate the best content creators and producers on social media in entertainment, music, technology, business, fitness, fashion, beauty and philanthropy. This was its 12th virtual awards ceremony.

Past winners include Taylor Swift, Malala Yousafzai, JK Rowling, Adele and DJ Khaled.

Hirschi, 34, who was born in Australia and moved to Dubai in 2008, has about 3.5 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, which offers an insight into supercar culture.

She works with carmakers such as Bugatti and Ferrari, and regularly posts videos driving luxury vehicles, although it's widely reported that her first car was a Mitsubishi Lancer.

A former radio presenter on Dubai Eye, she has always been a car fanatic. Her love for cars grew from the 14-hour drives she would take with her family growing up in the small Australian town of Boonah.

She told The National this year that growing up in a driving culture from a young age did her few favours. The industry was a cold house for women when she began posting her videos. "The majority of people at the events I would be asked to cover were men," she said. "I was the only woman on trips that would have up to 50 people at them."

She also told us, pre-pandemic, that she would get "stopped every few metres for photographs" when shopping in Dubai.