First all-women cohort of winners hails from Colombia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, the UK and the US.This year’s prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize has been awarded to six grassroots environmental activists from around the world for their efforts to fight climate change and save biodiversity.For the first time since the prize was created in 1989 by philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman, all recipients of the award are women: Iroro Tanshi, from Nigeria; Borim Kim, from South Korea; Sarah Finch, from the United Kingdom; Theonila Roka Matbob, from Papua New Guinea; Alannah Acaq Hurley, from the United States; and Yuvelis Morales Blanco, from Colombia.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listSometimes described as the “Green Nobel”, the Goldman Prize recipients are chosen from each of the world’s six primary regions. They each receive $200,000 in prize money.“While we continue to fight uphill to protect the environment and implement lifesaving climate policies – in the US and globally – it is clear that true leaders can be found all around us,” said John Goldman, vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation.“The 2026 Prize winners are proof positive that courage, hard work, and hope go a long way toward creating meaningful progress.” Yuvelis Morales Blanco, winner of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize, shows a fish caught on a tour with fishermen along the Magdalena River in Colombia [Handout: Christian EscobarMora/Goldman Environmental Prize]Morales Blanco, the winner for the region …
