Global Citizen announces the 2022 winners of Global Citizen Prize and Cisco Youth Leadership Award

Today, international advocacy organisation, Global Citizen, announced the winners of the Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022 and Cisco Youth Leadership Award. These remarkable changemakers are recognised for their efforts in shaping the world and the sustained impact they have created towards their pivotal work of fighting for social justice.

The coveted Global Citizen Prize 2022 shines a light on international activists who keep the world’s poor at the forefront of their campaigning and celebrates these individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving the United Nations’ global goals. The prize seeks to identify unsung heroes in our local communities who have been championing and uplifting the most vulnerable.

This year’s Global Citizen Prize 2022 will be recognised across three categories: Defend the Planet, Defeat Poverty, and Demand Equity, with a focus on climate change, empowering adolescent girls, and breaking down systemic poverty barriers. With 2–3 changemaker awardees per category, the winners will receive a year-long programme of support from Global Citizen, together with a donation to their organisation. Proud partners of the Global Citizen Prize 2022 include Cisco, Citi and P&G.

The Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022 honours people who go above and beyond to make the world a better place; people who inspire you to stand up and take action and recognises recipients making extraordinary efforts championing the vulnerable in our communities. This year’s awardees include: Anuscheh Amir-Khalili, activist and social entrepreneur, Flamingo e.V. (Germany); Barbie Izquierdo, food security activist and consultant (USA); Brianna Fruean, climate activist, Pacific Climate Warriors (Samoa), Khanyisile Motsa, founder and director, Berea-Hillbrow Home of Hope (South Africa); Mitzy Violeta Cortés Guzmán, defender of the earth, Futuros Indígenas Network (Mexico); Payzee Mahmod, child marriage survivor and campaigner, IKWRO – Women’s Rights Organisation (United Kingdom); Yemi Adamolekun, executive director, Enough is Enough (EiE), (Nigeria).

The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award was established by Cisco and Global Citizen, to celebrate an individual aged 18–30 who has contributed meaningfully towards the goal of ending extreme poverty in their community, through their leadership, dedication, and innovation. The prize winner will receive a substantial donation to their organisation to enable its continued growth. Candidates were judged, by a panel of representatives from Global Citizen, Cisco, and esteemed activists and leaders in the international development field, against five equally-weighted criteria, including impact, vision, catalyst, global citizenship, and technology innovation.

This year’s Cisco Youth Leadership Award winner is Nidhi Pant from India. Nidhi is a chemical engineer and co-founder of S4S Technologies, a farm-gate food processing platform that converts farm losses into value-added products through the intervention of sustainable solar-powered technology. The organisation increases family incomes and empowers women to be climate champions and decision-makers by transforming women farmers into micro-entrepreneurs through access to app-enabled market linkage, solar technology, bancarisation, and financing. S4S Technologies works with over 24,000 farmers and 800 female entrepreneurs to prevent 40,000 tons of produce from being wasted and saves 37,000 tons of CO2 annually.

“Addressing the world’s most pressing issues will require the innovative, passionate efforts of young entrepreneurs like Nidhi, leading the next generation of global leaders who will help usher in a more inclusive, sustainable future,” said Fran Katsoudas, EVP and chief People, Policy & Purpose officer of Cisco. “Cisco is proud to recognise and support Nidhi’s incredible work leveraging innovative technology solutions to reduce waste and empower women farmers and families across India.”

Liza Henshaw, president of Global Citizen said: "Global Citizen is honoured to recognise these remarkable changemakers who have the vision, foresight and persistence to make meaningful strides towards building a better future through their pivotal work. Given the urgent need for innovative solutions to deal with the challenges of defending the planet, defeating poverty, and demanding equity, we need individuals like our awardees who are ready to take immediate action."

The celebrated winners will be honoured at a prestigious intimate private dinner event, taking place on Sunday, 22 May in New York’s iconic Gotham Hall. The event recognises the work of those making extraordinary efforts to change the world and an exclusive stream of the Global Citizen Prize event will air on YouTube and Twitter on 2 June 2022, at 12pm ET.

The awardees will also be in attendance at the Global Citizen Now a 2-day summit, held in New York City, from Sunday 22 May until Monday 23 May. Global Citizen Now will bring together 200 leaders across the private sector, advocacy, entertainment, government and philanthropy. Focused on impact, action and innovation, Global Citizen Now's dynamic programme will feature fireside conversations and panel discussions married with visual arts and first-person storytelling from those at the forefront of ending extreme poverty now.

Global Citizen Now is supported by Cisco, Citi, Harith General Partners, P&G and Verizon.

For more information about the Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022, Cisco Youth Leadership Award, and Global Citizen Now, visit www.globalcitizen.org and follow @GlblCtzn Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #GlobalCitizen.