10 changemakers building a more gender-equal world

Published on 23 March 2026 at 02:48 GMT

By Lovisa Ralpher – WIN WIN Award

When the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award announced its 2026 theme — Gender-equal societies — the response from around the world was extraordinary. At a moment when diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives face growing political resistance, the message from the global community was clear: the work has not slowed. If anything, it has accelerated.

Across continents, changemakers are pushing forward — often against the tide — to build fairer, more inclusive societies. This year's ten finalists represent that spirit in full.

says Sara Larsson, executive director of the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award.

Their work spans women's leadership in climate action and peacebuilding, girls' access to education, youth empowerment, efforts to end child marriage, and the protection of reproductive and LGBTQI rights. Different causes, different corners of the world — but the same fundamental ambition: to strengthen people's ability to live, grow and shape their own futures.

WIN WIN Award finalists 2026

The WIN WIN Award has been presented since 2000 and amounts to SEK 1 million.

• Alaa Murabit, Libya/Canada

  
  

  Alaa Murabit is a physician, global strategist and a prominent international voice for integrating gender equality into peace and security efforts. During the Libyan civil war, she founded the organisation The Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21 and mobilised women across the country to increase their participation in the peace process. Today she works internationally to reshape how policy, financing and institutional structures are designed in societies affected by conflict and crisis.

• Bineta Diop, Senegal

  
  

  For more than three decades, Bineta Diop has strengthened women’s participation in peace, security and decision-making across Africa. As founder and president of Femmes Africa Solidarité, she has built networks and institutional frameworks that embed gender equality in politics and societal development – from the work of the African Union to national governments and local women’s networks.

  
  

   

• Anu Kumar, United States

  
  

  Anu Kumar leads Ipas, a global organisation working for reproductive justice by strengthening access to abortion and contraception across five continents. Under her leadership, the organisation has strengthened local health systems and trained healthcare providers to integrate abortion care into public healthcare structures and reduce unsafe procedures. By combining evidence, policy engagement and partnerships, she works to create long-term systemic change in the financing and prioritisation of reproductive health.

  
  

   

• Malala Yousafzai, Pakistan

  
  

  Malala Yousafzai was only 11 years old when she began advocating for girls’ right to education and speaking out against Taliban extremism in Pakistan. Despite surviving an assassination attempt in 2012, she continued her work and founded the Malala Fund the following year. Through her international leadership and the organisation’s work, she now advocates for all girls to receive twelve years of education, particularly in parts of the world where gender norms, poverty and conflict still prevent girls from attending school.

  
  

   

• Vandana Shiva, India

  
  

  Vandana Shiva is the founder of the organisation Navdanya and a leading voice in food sovereignty, agroecology and women’s rights. For several decades she has worked to place women and small-scale farmers at the centre of resource stewardship – from seeds and local networks to ecological knowledge and market structures. Her work demonstrates how gender equality and ecological responsibility can reinforce one another in ways that both strengthen women’s influence and contribute to resilient societal development.

  
  
  
  

WIN WIN Youth Award finalists 2026

The WIN WIN Youth Award has been presented since 2018 to young changemakers aged 13–29. The prize amounts to SEK 100,000.

• Pashtana Durrani, Afghanistan (29)

  
  

  After the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, education has been banned for girls over the age of 12. Inspired by the school her father started for girls in the refugee camp where she grew up, Pashtana Durrani founded the organisation LEARN Afghanistan at the age of 21. Through innovative digital methods and community-based schools, the organisation enables girls to continue learning despite extremely difficult circumstances.

  
  

   

• Artemis Akbary, Afghanistan (29)

  
  

  For LGBTIQ+ people from Afghanistan, their identity often means facing life-threatening risks. Artemis Akbary, himself a queer Afghan refugee, is co-founder and CEO of the human rights organisation Afghan LGBTIQ+ Organization (ALO) in the Czech Republic. The organisation combines humanitarian support for vulnerable individuals with international advocacy for the rights of LGBTIQ+ people.

  
  

   

• Joan Kembabazi, Uganda (28)

  
  

  When Joan Kembabazi was 14, she lost her friend Gufasha Moureen, who at the age of 13 had been forced into marriage with a 62-year-old man and later died during childbirth. In memory of her friend, Joan founded the Gufasha Girls Foundation, a community-based organisation in Uganda that works to end child marriage and strengthen girls’ rights through education, mentorship and locally driven norm change.

  
  

   

• Julieta Martínez, Chile (23)

  
  

  When Julieta Martínez was 15, she realised how rarely young women were given the opportunity to influence issues related to climate and societal development. She therefore founded Tremendas, an international platform now active in 18 countries that brings together, empowers, educates and amplifies the voices of young women who want to become changemakers in local and global processes and in decision-making.

  
  

   

• Ishaan Shah, India/United Kingdom (23)

  
  

  Recognising that modern slavery still affects millions of people, Ishaan Shah founded the organisation Stolen Dreams at the age of 14 to raise awareness of human trafficking. Today he works internationally to strengthen the influence of young people and future generations in global decision-making, with a particular focus on gender equality and human rights. Through his work in international forums, including the Women’s Major Group and UN processes, he builds bridges between global decision-making arenas and youth and human rights organisations.

  
  

says Johan Holmén, Chair of the Jury for the WIN WIN Youth Award and Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Transition at University West.