The 2022 Global Citizen Prize 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 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.

The 2022's prize will be recognised across three categories including:
  1. Defend the Planet
  2. Defeat Poverty, and
  3. Demand Equity.
This is with a focus on:
  • climate change
  • empowering adolescent girls, and
  • breaking down systemic poverty barriers.
With two to three changemaker awardees per category, the winners will receive a year-long programme of support from Global Citizen — together with a donation to their organisation. Partners of the 2022 Global Citizen Prize include:
  • Cisco
  • Citi, and
  • P&G.
According to the Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022, the recognition aims to honour people who go above and beyond to make the world a better place. The award says that these are people who inspire you to stand up and take action and it recognises recipients making extraordinary efforts to champion the vulnerable in our communities.

2022's awardees include:
  • Anuscheh Amir-Khalili, activist and social entrepreneur at Flamingo e.V., Germany
  • Barbie Izquierdo, activist, consultant and community empowerment manager at Hunger Free America, United States of America
  • Brianna Fruean, climate activist at Pacific Climate Warriors, Samoa
  • Khanyisile Motsa, founder and director at Berea-Hillbrow Home of Hope, South Africa
  • Mitzy Violeta Cortés Guzmán, 'defender of the earth' at Futuros Indígenas Network, Mexico
  • Payzee Mahmod, child marriage survivor and campaigner at IKWRO — Women's Rights Organisation, United Kingdom, and
  • Yemi Adamolekun, executive director at Enough is Enough, Nigeria.
The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award was established by Cisco and Global Citizen. The prize celebrates individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have contributed meaningfully towards the goal of ending extreme poverty in their community. This is 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 activists and leaders in the international development field. It was with five equally-weighted criteria, which are:
  1. impact
  2. vision
  3. catalyst
  4. global citizenship, and
  5. technology innovation.
2022's Cisco Youth Leadership Award winner is Nidhi Pant from India. Pant 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.

According to the awards, the organisation increases family incomes and empowers women to be climate champions and decision-makers by transforming women farmers into micro-entrepreneurs. This is through access to:
  • app-enabled market linkage
  • solar technology
  • bancarization, 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 save 37 000 tons of CO2 annually.

"Addressing the world's most pressing issues will require the innovative, passionate efforts of young entrepreneurs, like Pants, leading the next generation of global leaders who will help usher in a more inclusive, sustainable future," says Fran Katsoudas, EVP and the chief people, policy and purpose officer of Cisco.

"Cisco is proud to recognise and support Pants's incredible work leveraging innovative technology solutions to reduce waste and empower women farmers and families across India," adds Katsoudas.

Liza Henshaw, president of Global Citizen, says, "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."

Henshaw concludes, "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 winners will be honoured at a prestigious intimate private dinner event, taking place on Sunday, 22 May in New York's Gotham Hall.

The event says that it 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 Thursday, 2 June at midday.

The awardees will also be in attendance at the Global Citizen NOW, a two-day summit, held in New York City from Sunday, 22 May until Monday, 23 May.

Global Citizen NOW aims to bring together 200 leaders across the following sectors:
  • private 
  • advocacy
  • entertainment
  • government, and
  • philanthropy.
Focused on impact, action and innovation, Global Citizen NOW's dynamic programme aims to feature fireside conversations and panel discussions married with visual arts and first-person story-telling 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, visit www.globalcitizen.org. You can also follow Global Citizen on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.