On Tuesday, the Goldman Environmental Prize 2026 has for the first time in history been awarded entirely to women in recognition of activists from across the globe for their work tackling climate change and safeguarding biodiversity. Often dubbed the 'Green Nobel', the Goldman Environmental Prize recognises environmental champions across six global regions, with each laureate receiving a $200,000 award.
The winners are announced each April, coinciding with Earth Day.
This year, the winners are Borim Kim (South Korea), Iroro Tanshi (Nigeria), Alannah Acaq Hurley (United States), Sarah Finch (United Kingdom), Theonila Roka Matbob (Papua New Guinea), and Yuvelis Morales Blanco (Colombia).
Activist Borim Kim and her Youth 4 Climate Action secured a win in Asia's first successful youth-led climate case, after the Constitutional Court of Korea ruled in August 2024 that South Korea's climate policy violated future generations' rights and ordered binding emission cuts for 2031–2049 to help achieve net-zero by 2050.
Iroro Tanshi led a community-driven effort to protect the habitat of an endangered bat species in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, helping prevent major wildfires between 2022 and 2025 through local fire brigades that monitored farmland and responded to dozens of outbreaks.
Representing 15 tribal nations, Yup'ik leader Alannah Acaq Hurley is an executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, helped blocking what would have been North America's largest open-pit mine and safeguarding Alaska's Bristol Bay region with its vital salmon ecosystem.
In England, Sarah Finch and the Weald Action Group spent more than a decade opposing oil drilling, and established that authorities must account for the downstream climate impacts of fossil fuels, which set a precedent that has already blocked similar developments across the UK and may influence EU policy.
Theonila Roka Matbob led a campaign that contributed to beginning to address the environmental and social impacts of the long-closed Panguna mine in Bougainville, and launched a collaborative remediation process that acknowledges past harms and explores long-term responses.
Finally, Yuvelis Morales Blanco mobilised her community in Puerto Wilches against fracking, contributing to the 2022 suspension of pilot projects by Ecopetrol and a 2024 Colombian Constitutional Court ruling that found violations in the community's right to free, prior, and informed consent.
Since its launch in 1989, the Goldman Environmental Prize has used a global network of expert nominators from fields such as civil society, journalism, science, academia, and government to identify grassroots environmental leaders across all regions. Its mission is to honour the achievements and leadership of environmental activists from all around the world, inspiring everyone to take action to protect the planet.
More information on the prize and its laureates can be found on their official website.
