Meet the finalists, discover their stories and join us in celebrating through the Global Youth Hub this November.

The Global Youth Awards 2026 are officially underway!

Today, we begin a month celebrating young people who are creating positive change around the world. Join us on the Global Youth Hub throughout November to discover our finalists’ stories, hear from guest speakers, enjoy performances and celebrate this year’s award recipients.

We’re opening the celebrations with Rebekka Louise, our 2025 Songwriting Competition winner, who returns with an opening address and a special performance of “Foreign Home”, alongside a welcome from Legacy Project founder Tiffany Kelly.

Whether you’re a nominee, finalist, judge, supporter or discovering the Awards for the first time, we’re delighted to have you with us.

With gratitude,

The Legacy Project team x

A month to celebrate young people changing the world

This November, we’re bringing the Global Youth Awards online for a month of celebration, storytelling and connection.

From protecting our environment and widening access to education to empowering communities and using creativity to inspire change, our finalists are showing what can happen when young people are given the space and support to lead.

Join us on the Global Youth Hub as we share their stories, celebrate their work and announce our 2026 winners throughout Awards Month.

The Global Youth Awards began with a belief that young people making a difference deserve to be heard, recognised and supported.

Tiffany Kelly founded Legacy Project in 2010. Following the London riots, she saw a need to challenge negative narratives about young people and give young people themselves a stronger voice in conversations about their future.

In 2012, Legacy launched the Positive for Youth Awards, celebrating community projects and sharing positive youth stories. In 2018, the celebration became the Global Youth Awards, expanding beyond the UK to recognise young changemakers internationally.

During the pandemic, the Awards moved online, bringing young people together across borders. That experience strengthened our commitment to creating a celebration that people could participate in wherever they lived.

Over the years, we have received nominations from 107 countries. Through our Global Change Ambassador Programme, the connections continue beyond the Awards, with mentoring, opportunities and a network of young people supporting one another.

Young people remain at the heart of the celebration as nominees, judges, performers, hosts and speakers.

Throughout November, the Global Youth Hub will be home to a month of stories, winner announcements, guest talks and opportunities to celebrate young people creating change.

Each week will focus on a different area of impact. We’ll share the stories of our finalists and winners alongside contributions from young changemakers in our community.

OPENING AWARDS MONTH

Monday 2 November

Our celebrations begin with an opening address and a special performance of “Foreign Home” from Rebekka Louise, our 2025 Songwriting Competition winner, alongside a welcome from Legacy Project founder Tiffany Kelly.

WHEN TO JOIN US

On award days, finalist profiles will be published at midday GMT, followed by the winner reveal at 4pm GMT.

On speaker days, watch the featured contribution at midday GMT and discover an opportunity shared by our team at 4pm GMT.

Everything will be shared on the Global Youth Hub, so you can return to explore the stories throughout the month.

WEEK ONE: ENVIRONMENTAL REGENERATION

3–7 November

Our first week celebrates young people protecting and restoring the natural world.

Tuesday 3 November: Environmental Leadership
Wednesday 4 November: Guest talk from Erfan Firouzi of Wildlife Focus
Thursday 5 November: Environmental Innovation
Friday 6 November: Jato Sonita showcase
Saturday 7 November: Environmental Change

WEEK TWO: EDUCATION

10–14 November

We’ll turn our attention to young people creating new opportunities to learn, grow and thrive.

Tuesday 10 November: Educational Leadership
Wednesday 11 November: Guest talk from Nitya Lohiya
Thursday 12 November: Educational Innovation
Friday 13 November: Splendour’s documentary
Saturday 14 November: Educational Change

WEEK THREE: EMPOWERING EVERYONE

17–21 November

This week celebrates young people who are opening doors, amplifying voices and helping others thrive.

Tuesday 17 November: Empowering Leadership
Wednesday 18 November: Guest talk from Maya Nanan of the Siblings and Friends Network
Thursday 19 November: Empowering Innovation
Friday 20 November: Guest talk from Eden Byrne
Saturday 21 November: Empowering Change

WEEK FOUR: CREATIVE REJUVENATION

24–28 November

Our final themed week explores the power of creativity to connect people, express ideas and inspire change.

Tuesday 24 November: Creative Leadership
Wednesday 25 November: Guest talk from Ellie Payne
Thursday 26 November: Creative Innovation
Friday 27 November: Guest talk from artist and curator Ally Zlatar
Saturday 28 November: Creative Change

CLOSING THE CELEBRATIONS

Sunday 29 November: Songwriting Competition winner announcement
Monday 30 November: Winners showcase

We’ll be sharing the stories behind each award throughout the month, so join us on the Global Youth Hub to follow the celebrations, discover the finalists’ work and congratulate our winners.

Meet the young people at the heart of this year’s Global Youth Awards.

Our 2026 finalists are protecting the environment, widening access to education, empowering communities and using creativity and music to inspire change. Each story begins with someone noticing a problem or possibility and deciding to act.

Below is a glimpse of their work. Throughout November, we’ll share fuller profiles, project links and videos on the Global Youth Hub, giving you the chance to discover their ideas and the people behind them.

Explore their stories, follow their projects and leave a message of encouragement as we celebrate their achievements and reveal this year’s award recipients.

Environmental Leadership

Nghia Luu, 18, Vietnam
Nghia is tackling food waste through the ZeroWaste Project, bringing attention to how everyday action can help build a more sustainable future.

Isaac Nelson, 13, USA
Through Eco Scouts, Isaac brings young volunteers together to help restore coastal ecosystems and care for their local environment.

Ved Kedia, 16, United Arab Emirates
Ved’s initiative, Jal Seva, connects access to clean water with action to reduce plastic waste.

Environmental Innovation

Benit Michael Taty, 22, Congo-Brazzaville
Benit is the founder of GreenBox, which uses solar-powered cold storage to help reduce food loss and support farmers, fishers and food businesses.

Koharu Shibata, 12, Japan
Koharu explores composting, additive-free soap and everyday environmental choices, using research and practical ideas to encourage more sustainable habits.

Mohamed Elsaid Metwaly, 19, Egypt
Mohamed is a young innovator whose work includes Global TEMPO, an initiative making environmental information more accessible.

Environmental Change

Lucile Morehouse, 16, USA
Through Lucile’s Pollinator Project, Lucile helps protect pollinators through habitat creation, education and advocacy.

Samaira Garg, 16, India
Samaira’s initiative Made Again gives discarded paper a new purpose, encouraging people to think differently about waste and reuse.

Cash Daniels, 17, USA
Known as The Conservation Kid, Cash works to protect waterways and wildlife and inspire others to take action for the environment.

Educational Leadership

Umar Shareef, 23, India
Through Noor-ul-Kitaab, Umar widens access to learning through reading rooms, practical skills workshops and community activities that help young people build confidence and opportunity.

Quinn Luong, 17, Canada
Quinn founded SimplifyIGCSE, bringing students together to create free revision resources and make academic support more accessible.

Nicola Koen, 16, South Africa
Through LIFT—Literacy Is the Foundation of Tomorrow—Nicola brings books, learning activities and student volunteers together to support literacy and educational opportunity.

Educational Innovation

Chloe Chang, 16, USA
Chloe founded ColiCast to connect water-quality research with community education, helping young people investigate environmental conditions and understand the science behind them.

Jacob Budiman, 16, Singapore
Through SkillsBridge21, Jacob creates opportunities for students to develop debating, coding, design and writing skills through workshops and mentoring.

Norah Kimathi, 22, Kenya
As a co-founder of Zerobionic, Norah helps develop sign-language robotics designed to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics lessons more accessible to deaf learners.

Educational Change

Divyansha Nashine, 19, USA
Through G.I.R.L.S. — Generation of Innovators, Researchers, and Leaders in STEM — Divyansha creates opportunities for young people to explore science, technology and leadership.

Iqra Fatima, 17, Pakistan
Iqra supports access to learning through a community education initiative providing free lessons and educational supplies.

Natasha Agarwal, 19, USA
Through BelieveNBooks, Natasha helps make books more accessible to children and communities.

Empowering Leadership

Advika Gupta, 16, India
Through A Stitch for a Smile, Advika connects crochet training and paid creative work for women with handmade toys offering comfort and companionship to children undergoing cancer treatment.

Justin Lee, 17, USA
Justin founded Camp Spark to give children access to free sports camps, helping remove financial barriers to discovering new activities, friendships and confidence.

Ana-Maria Todoran, 25, Romania
Through youth advocacy and the Thirsty for Solutions campaign, Ana-Maria brings young people into efforts to improve access to free drinking water and influence decisions affecting their communities.

Empowering Innovation

Taisiia Taran, 21, Ukraine
Taisiia’s work connects rehabilitation, healthcare access and youth participation, supporting people affected by war while advocating for young people’s role in Ukraine’s recovery.

Garvit Sharma, 15, India
Garvit is developing REUNEXA, a digital platform designed to help families and communities organise and share information during missing-person searches.

Ayona Jaswal, 16, Canada
Inspired by her own hospital experiences, Ayona founded The Kindness and Smile Zone, bringing creative activities, educational resources and encouragement to children facing illness.

Empowering Change

Alexis Proton, 17, USA
Alexis co-founded Flow Forwards to improve access to menstrual products and education through care kits, community outreach and her Comfort Cabinet initiative.

Shivali Khaitan, 17, India
Shivali founded Joyful Journeys, an inclusive programme using playful, adaptive activities to help children develop motor skills, coordination and confidence.

Julia Howe, 18, USA
Through Hitting The Wall, Julia makes health education more accessible to teenage female athletes, sharing resources on nutrition, menstrual health, injury prevention and mental wellbeing.

Creative Leadership

Ava Costa, 16, USA
Through Arturo Healing Hearts, Ava brings young musicians into healthcare settings, using live performance to offer comfort, companionship and connection.

Gabriella Dias, 13, Australia
Gabriella is the young author behind Light of Luna, a fantasy series exploring friendship, identity and self-discovery. She shares her writing journey to encourage other young storytellers.

Jeremy Nathanael Dihardja, 23, Indonesia
Through Raksa-Urvi, Jeremy uses ecological art and community storytelling to draw attention to environmental challenges and amplify the experiences of local and Indigenous communities.

Creative Innovation

Haru Kim, 16, Hong Kong
Haru founded 4HOME, using cooking workshops and storytelling to connect young volunteers with domestic workers and migrant communities through food, culture and shared experiences.

Malaika Nawaz, 19, Pakistan
An author and poet, Malaika helps emerging writers bring their work to readers through publishing support, creative resources and digital storytelling.

Ogechukwu Idogwu, 24, Nigeria
Ogechukwu is developing WarriorCare, a digital project combining educational resources and personal tracking tools to support people living with sickle cell disease.

Creative Change

Jennica Alixes, 17, USA
Jennica uses creative activities, digital resources and community events to raise awareness of invisible disabilities and help people feel more understood and supported.

Sabrina Liu, 17, New Zealand
Through Dance for Unity and Youth Dance Pacific, Sabrina widens access to dance through free teaching, donated equipment, mentoring and cultural exchange.

Vaamsi Krishna Rawat, 16, India
Through Paintings for Purpose, Vaamsi gave an existing collection of artwork a new role, raising funds to support an animal refuge and provide educational materials for children.

Our Songwriting Competition celebrates the ways young people use music to express experiences, share ideas and connect with others.

Etienne Kas
Etienne’s submission shares a message of unity, tolerance and cultural diversity, using music to encourage connection across differences.

Sophia Ogboru
Sophia’s song “Survive” draws on personal experience to share a message of persistence and finding the strength to keep going.

Victor Ocholla
A teacher and talent mentor from Kenya, Victor uses music and performance to encourage young people’s confidence, participation and care for the environment.

Discover the finalists’ music and join us for the Songwriting Competition winner announcement on Sunday 29 November.

There are lots of ways to help these stories reach further:

• Visit the Global Youth Hub and read about the finalists.

• Share a finalist’s story or project with your community.

• Leave a message of encouragement on the Hub.

• Follow the winner announcements throughout November.

• Tell a young person, school, organisation or community group about the Awards.

Every share, conversation and connection can help a young person’s work reach someone new.

Throughout Awards Month, we’ll hear from young people in our community as they share their experiences, projects and perspectives. Their contributions are an opportunity to learn more about the many ways young people are creating change.

Erfan Firouzi

Erfan is a naturalist, conservationist, environmental storyteller and National Geographic Young Explorer. He founded The Wildlife Focus and hosts the Nature Talks podcast, connecting people with conservation through science, education and storytelling.

His talk, “The Heartbeat of Hope: Reconnecting with Nature to Inspire Change”, explores how curiosity and connection with the natural world can turn environmental concern into meaningful action.

Erfan’s guest talk: Wednesday 4 November

Nitya Lohiya — Education Week

Nitya is a youth advocate, author and founder of That Teen. Her work supports young people’s confidence, leadership and participation, drawing on her own experiences of resilience and personal growth.

Nitya’s guest talk: Wednesday 11 November

Splendour — Education Week

Join us for a documentary contribution from Splendour, shared as part of our Education Week programme on the Global Youth Hub.

Splendour’s documentary: Friday 13 November

Eden Byrne — Empowerment Week

Eden advocates for disability representation and inclusion, drawing on her experiences to challenge perceptions and encourage greater understanding.

Eden’s guest talk: Friday 20 November

Rebekka Louise — Opening Awards Month

Our 2025 Songwriting Competition winner returns to open the celebrations with an address exploring leaving home, moving countries and finding yourself in a new place, followed by a special performance of “Foreign Home”.

Rebekka’s opening address and performance: Monday 2 November

You can discover their contributions throughout the month on the Global Youth Hub.

Behind every Global Youth Awards finalist and winner is a group of young people who have given their time and care to reviewing this year’s nominations.

Our youth judges, aged 11–25, considered the stories, projects and impact shared by nominees from around the world. They looked at each nomination through areas including impact, leadership and initiative, commitment, community impact and potential.

Rather than relying on a numerical score, judges were asked to consider the nominations as a whole and select a winner and two runners-up for each award.

We know that choosing between so many thoughtful and inspiring nominations is no easy task. To every judge who read, reflected and helped us recognise this year’s young changemakers: thank you. Your time, insight and commitment have helped make these Awards possible.

And to every nominee: thank you for trusting us with your story. Each nomination gave us a glimpse of the care, creativity and determination young people are bringing to their communities.