2026 Heroes of Tomorrow: United Nations SDG Action Awards Winners Announced

ROME, ITALY, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Rome, Italy, 29 October 2026, 19.30: The ninth edition of the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony organized by the UN SDG Action Campaign revealed the winners in Rome, Italy.

Selected from over 7,000 entries from 190 countries, winners were chosen from nine finalists in three categories Resilience, Creativity and Changemaker.

Resilience Award Winner: Women’s Justice Initiative

Many Indigenous women in Guatemala face high rates of violence, poverty, and discrimination due to the language barrier, limited access to information, and isolation. Women’s Justice Initiative support Indigenous women and girls to claim their rights, access justice and lead change in their communities. So far, more than 16,000 indigenous women and girls have participated.

“I accept the UN SDG Action Award in the honour of the Maya Kaqchikel women and girls in Guatemala who are building a more just future for their communities. Ending violence against women requires all of us. Only together, we can build a future where every woman and girl lives with dignity and realizes her full potential,” said Viviana Patal, Legal Director, Women's Justice Initiative

Creativity Award Winner Mothers of Courage

Across rural India, Mothers of Courage are mobilizing entire villages to keep girls in school to expand their choices for the future. Until today, over 1.2 million people have joined and pledged to keep their daughters in education and prevent early marriage. Girls who had dropped out of school have returned. Marriages have been postponed. That's the power of restoring agency at the grassroots.

“This Award belongs to all mothers in the villages across India who are changing their daughters’ destiny. Together let’s create a world where no girl no child is left behind”, said Khushboo Awasthi, the Chief Curator of the Movement.

Changemaker Award Winner Rokiatou Traoré

Using agroforestry to tackle land degradation and create economic opportunities, Malian entrepreneur Rokiatou Traoré supports women and smallholder farmers through Herou Alliance to restore land, strengthen livelihoods and build value chains around moringa and other high-value trees.

“The Award is a lot more. I devote this Award to everyone who works day and night to make our dream of restored land in Mali a reality.” Rokiatou Traoré, Founder, Herou Alliance

The UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP, Michelle Muschett spoke at the Ceremony: “UN SDG Action Award Finalists remind us that future is something we create together and that each of us has the power to help shape it and open doors for the next generations.”

Umit Boyner, Executive Board Member of Boyner Group, Turkiye's leading retail group, announced the winner of the Resilience Category and shared: “UN SDG Action Awards Finalists show that true resilience is not simply about enduring hardship. It is about turning adversity into meaningful change.”

Prof. Dr. Tobias Wollermann, the Group Vice President Corporate Responsibility at the Otto Group, the global digital retail and services company based in Germany, announced the winner of the Creativity Category and shared: “The Finalists remind us that the Sustainable Development Goals come to life through people like them, who transform ideas into real action for people and the planet”.

Marina Ponti, the Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, underscored: “Change has always begun with people who refused to accept that the world could not be different. So be courageous. Be persistent. Be that change.”

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls received the Honourable Mention Award. For thirty years, it has been funding locally led solutions, and it remains the only UN General Assembly-mandated pooled fund dedicated exclusively to ending such violence.

The Ceremony also featured powerful messages from key partners of the Campaign. Stefano Gatti, Director General for Development Cooperation at Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: “UN SDG Action Awards finalists show that securing our food systems is the foundation for peace and human dignity.”

Dr. Katharina Stasch, who also served as a judge, Director-General at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), thanked the Heroes of Tomorrow for their courage, determination, and inspiration through a video message and shared: “Germany remains firmly committed to multilateralism, peace, human rights, and gender equality and is proud to support the UN SDG Action Campaign”

Kenyan vocalist Iminza shared a message of solidarity in a shared moment through her song. Italian singer-songwriter Roshelle closed the ceremony with the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, sending guests off with a note of hope and inspiration.

Please find the visuals here.

Photo Credits: UN SDG Action Campaign / Sabrina Marchionne

Media Contact

Olcay Tetik, Partnerships Specialist, UN SDG Action Campaign
Email: olcay.tetik@undp.org
Website: https://sdgactionawards.org

B-roll footage is available upon request.

About the UN SDG Action Campaign:

The UN SDG Action Campaign is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme and based in Bonn, Germany. To bring us closer to a just, inclusive and sustainable future, the Campaign elevates unheard communities, nurtures changemakers, and leverages creativity to inspire hope and bold action.

The Ceremony took place on 29 October 2026 in Rome and was broadcast worldwide through RAI, Italy’s national broadcaster and official media partner, and UN Web TV.

The programme is made possible in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Olcay Tetik
UN SDG Action Campaign
+49 4922 88152676
olcay.tetik@undp.org
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2026 Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony