Applications Now open 2026 NGFP-Young Voices Awards | Including 2025 Award Highlights
- Lisa Giuliani
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
What does the future look like? If you ask the 2025 cohort of the NGFP-YV, it looks like solar-powered birthing clinics in India, systems that convert wasted city heat into electricity in Dubai, and youth-led movements breaking down menstrual health stigmas in the USA.
Last year, we recognized 32 outstanding global projects and recognized the top 10 projects from the MENA Region. These young visionaries (ages 12–17) have now joined a network of over 1400 youth voices from around the world.
As we open applications for the 2026 Awards, let’s also take a closer look at the incredible achievements of last year’s winners.
🔥 Apply for the 2026 NGFP-YV Awards!
We are looking for the next generation of curious minds. Whether you have a fully-fledged project or just a visionary idea ready to be put into action, we want to hear from you.
💰 The Prizes:
First Place: $1,000 USD to launch or scale your project.
Three Runners-Ups: $500 USD towards project
Six Top Finalists: Official recognition of efforts and ideas.
Seventeen SDG Recognitions: 17 projects honored (one for each UN Sustainable Development Goal)
Ten Top Projects recognized across the MENA region.
Special Honors for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.
📝 Submission Details:
Who: Individuals or teams (up to 5) aged 12–17.
Criteria: Curiosity, passion for the future, and a commitment to your community.
🏆 2025 Global Winners: Leading with Purpose
The 2025 winners showed us that there's a future in every sector. We saw a massive focus on: Environmental Innovation: Turning agricultural waste into smokeless charcoal (Uganda). Indigenous Knowledge: Honoring traditional water management (India & Brazil). Health & AI: Creating AI platforms for children with autism (Dubai).
1st Place: Common Ground (India)
Gauri Gupta & Ryan Wazz
Peace isn't just the absence of war; it’s a practice. Gauri and Ryan have built a national movement focused on peacebuilding pedagogy. By partnering with schools and at-risk communities, they’ve reached 5,000 students to bridge social divides and celebrate diversity. Impact: SDGs 4, 10, 13, and 16.
Runner-Up: Waste to Clean Energy Innovators (Nigeria)
Opeyemi Bakare & Team
Turning "trash into treasure" is an understatement here. This team collects plastic and electronic waste to engineer solar-powered fans and biogas solutions, providing clean energy to local communities while tackling pollution head-on.
Runner-Up: Janam (India)
Janam Eva Bothra & Team
In rural India, distance can be the biggest barrier to safe childbirth. Janam transforms old shipping containers into mobile, solar-powered birthing clinics. Beyond the hardware, they’ve already trained 100+ local midwives, ensuring a legacy of care.
Runner-Up: HER (USA)
Quynh Tran
Quynh is tackling the global stigma of menstrual health. Through her nonprofit, she provides education and resources worldwide, while simultaneously researching how AI can be used to bridge health equity gaps.
🌍 MENA Region Highlights (In Partnership with Dubai Future Foundation)
The 2025 cycle marked a historic surge in talent from the Middle East and North Africa, with 67 applicants and 20 finalists setting a standard for the year to come.
1st Place: Beyond Tomorrow (UAE) – Vrishank Sai AnandVrishank created a school "Futures Club" and a podcast to demystify foresight tools, helping youth navigate an uncertain world with confidence.
2nd Place: HAWAA (UAE) – Mahra AlGurg & Reem Al AliA brilliant engineering feat that captures wasted city heat and converts it into electricity, paving the way for sustainable, energy-efficient "smart cities."
3rd Place: NutriPrint (UAE) – Shyam & Ananya ManikandanAddressing protein deficiency through technology, this project uses 3D printing to create nutrient-dense food blocks from locally sourced crops like chickpeas and millets.
Runner-Up: Falcon Justice Lab (UAE) – Hessa AbdullaA proactive advocate for community service, Hessa’s work with the TKS program and the Youth Dialogue Forum exemplifies the leadership we look for.
🔥 Judges Corner:
Thank you year after year for your dedication! There is something incredibly moving about seeing the world through the eyes of our youth, and we feel so lucky to share in this humbling experience together. Grateful for your generous spirit.
