Goldman Environmental Prize 2026: Six
Grassroots Environmental Activists Honored
The Goldman Environmental Prize 2026, often referred
to as the “Green Nobel Prize”, was awarded to six grassroots environmental
activists from different regions of the world.
Awardees and their Work
¨ Yuvelis Morales Blanco
(Colombia): Led community resistance against hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
projects along the Magdalena River, contributing to their suspension.
¨
Sarah Finch (United
Kingdom): Secured a landmark Supreme Court ruling requiring fossil fuel
projects to account for their full climate impact, reshaping environmental law.
¨ Alannah Acaq Hurley
(United States): Led a coalition that stopped the Pebble Mine project,
protecting vast salmon ecosystems in Alaska.
¨ Borim Kim (South Korea):
Won Asia’s first youth-led constitutional climate case, compelling stronger
emissions reduction targets.
¨ Theonila Roka Matbob
(Papua New Guinea): Forced mining giant Rio Tinto to accept responsibility for
environmental damage from the Panguna mine.
¨ Iroro Tanshi (Nigeria):
Led community action to protect endangered bat habitats and rainforest
ecosystems from wildfires.
About Goldman Environmental Prize
¨
The Goldman Environmental
Prize, often called the “Green Nobel”, is the world’s largest award for
grassroots environmental activists and is administered by the Goldman
Environmental Foundation.
¨
Philanthropists Richard
and Rhoda Goldman founded the prize in 1989 to highlight the international
nature of environmental problems and inspire global action through individual
leadership.
¨ The prize annually
recognises one grassroots environmental leader from each of six continental
regions—Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South & Central America, and
Islands & Island Nations.
¨
The winners are selected
by an international jury and awarded with $200,000 USD each.
