Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2026 ($10,000 prize) – YOA

Deadline: May 17, 2026

Applications are open for the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2026. Launched by the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF) and the Democracy and Culture Foundation in 2023, the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize is awarded yearly to a younger chief aged 18 to 30 and introduced on the Athens Democracy Forum. The award recognises distinctive management proven by younger activists in defending and selling democracy and goals to encourage extra younger individuals to decide to the development of democracy.

Throughout his mandate as Secretary-General of the United Nations and later on the head of KAF, Kofi Annan labored to advertise democracy, which he known as “a catalyst for better governance, greater security, and human development.” He was additionally an awesome believer in youth management and inclusion, and he strived to facilitate the participation of younger individuals in native, nationwide and worldwide determination-making boards.

Democracy, nonetheless, is in retreat in lots of components of the world, with catastrophic penalties, together with the toppling of democratically elected governments, the rise of populist and authoritarian leaders on all continents, and outbreaks of battle and conflict. Considering the deteriorating state of democracy globally, the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize seeks to establish and commend inspiring younger individuals who have proven distinctive dedication to defending and advancing democracy of their nations.

Benefits

Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize winner will obtain:

• $10,000 USD and one-12 months’s mentorship with a recognised democracy skilled.
• A spot to attend the Athens Democracy Forum in Athens, Greece from 29 September – 2 October 2026, together with journey and lodging.
• An invitation to co-curate a session on youth and democracy on the following 12 months’s discussion board.

Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize winner and 9 finalists will obtain:

• A completely-funded place to attend the One Young World Summit Cape Town, South Africa from 3 – 6 November 2026. 
• Travel to and from Cape Town (flights in economic system).
• Hotel lodging in Cape Town in a non-public room between 2 – 7 November 2026. 
• Lifelong membership of the One Young World Ambassador Community, a world community with 20,000+ members in 190+ nations. 
• OPPORTUNITY to current their work at worldwide fora and conferences.
• Opportunity to attach with the previous winners of the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize.
• Opportunities to have interaction in extra One Young World-led occasions and programming, together with extra mentorship alternatives.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this prize, you have to:

• Be aged between 18 – 30 on the time of the application.
• Have demonstrated capability for management.
• Be prepared and in a position to take part in public actions within the context of the Athens Democracy Forum and One Young World Summit 2026. 
• Submit a brief video outlining your work defending democracy, and why you will have chosen to have interaction in it.
• Submit your application in English.
• Submit a letter of assist written and signed by an organisation recognised within the discipline of defending and advancing democracy*. The particular person writing your letter of assist needs to be somebody who is aware of you and is aware of your work. The particular person should not be a member of the family, private pal, an worker or co-founding father of your organisation (in case you are additionally a co-founder). In their letter of assist, the person should:
  • State their full title, organisation and title. 
  • Explain how they know you and for a way lengthy they’ve recognized you. 
  • Explain their understanding of your function.
  • Explain why they imagine your work helps defend and advance democracy. 
  • Write the letter in English. 

* You should have express consent from the person supporting your application to share their private particulars with One Young World. The title and organisation of the person supporting your application could also be shared with related third-events concerned within the choice course of. You should acquire consent to share these particulars for this objective.

Evaluation Criteria

An impartial judging panel evaluations a shortlist of purposes and selects the award recipient. The judging panel will think about the next when deciding the winner:

• Impact: The applicant’s actions had a demonstrated end result, as an example, a change in coverage in a given nation, the speed of participation in elections, the variety of individuals reached by a selected marketing campaign, the variety of customers of a selected application, the variety of college students gaining a wider understanding of the significance of the democratic course of, the variety of neighborhood associations engaged in an academic marketing campaign and so on.
• Innovation: The revolutionary character of those actions.
• Sustainability: Whether the applicant has superior the reason for democracy and human rights for a sustained interval of 1-12 months minimal, and whether or not these actions are sustainable over time and replicable in different contexts;
• Values: The values displayed by the applicant by their actions.
• Benefit: The added worth the Award might deliver to the applicant by way of worldwide notoriety and assist.

Application

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize.