This article is part of:Global Shapers Annual Summit

• Young leaders are driving social innovation, reimagining how we address issues such as food insecurity, gender equity and environmental justice.
• The Global Shapers Innovation Prize aims to empower the next generation of changemakers providing solutions, defined by their impact on people's lives.
• The 2025 Innovation Prize winners show how youth-led solutions can reshape societies and systems, through the lens of place-based transformation.

Around the world, young leaders are at the forefront of a powerful wave of social innovation, reimagining how we address pressing issues such as food insecurity, digital exclusion, gender equity and environmental justice.

Grounded in lived experience and driven by collective action, these initiatives demonstrate that the future is not waiting – it’s being built now.

What is a Global Shaper?

The Global Shapers Community is a network of young people under the age of 30 who are working together to drive dialogue, action and change to address local, regional and global challenges.

The community spans more than 8,000 young people in 165 countries and territories.

Teams of Shapers form hubs in cities where they self-organize to create projects that address the needs of their community. The focus of the projects are wide-ranging, from responding to disasters and combating poverty, to fighting climate change and building inclusive communities.

Examples of projects include Water for Life, a effort by the Cartagena Hub that provides families with water filters that remove biological toxins from the water supply and combat preventable diseases in the region, and Creativity Lab from the Yerevan Hub, which features activities for children ages 7 to 9 to boost creative thinking.

Each Shaper also commits personally and professionally to take action to preserve our planet.

Join or support a hub near you.

The Global Shapers Innovation Prize celebrates the next generation of transformative thinkers. More than just disruptive ideas or high-tech tools, these solutions are defined by their impact on people’s lives.

They show what’s possible when creativity, compassion and community come together. Increasingly, the private sector is stepping in to help scale these efforts, recognizing that young people are not just advocates for change – they are leading it.

Here we explore the winners of the 2025 Innovation Prize through the lens of place-based transformation – highlighting how youth-led solutions are reshaping societies and systems.

Winners of the Global Shapers Innovation Prize 2025

The Innovation Prize is a joint initiative of the Global Shapers Community, Accenture and the Global Alliance for YOUth. Each year, 10,000 young leaders in 500 city-based hubs around the world are invited to apply for support to accelerate their transformative ideas.

The prize offers more than just funding; it provides training, mentorship, visibility and a global platform to amplify the most promising youth-led solutions. This approach turns urgent local needs into replicable, scalable models for global impact.

At its core, the Innovation Prize embodies the power of cross-sector collaboration, as private sector and youth leaders work side by side to unlock the potential of a new generation and build a more inclusive, sustainable future from the ground up.

Each of the 12 winning projects combine bold thinking, community ownership and scalable impact. They respond to urgent challenges while laying foundations for lasting change.

Abuja Hub – Recycle for Education

Young changemakers in Abuja Hub are driving environmental action and educational equity. In Nigeria’s capital, where plastic pollution remains a pressing challenge, they are turning waste into opportunity – literally – by collecting and recycling more than 2,000 kg of plastic bottles to fund school scholarships for displaced children in Abuja’s New Kuchingoro IDP camp.

Beyond cleanup, they are also raising awareness about the power of recycling to transform lives, proving that climate action can open doors to education. By partnering with the Ministry of Education, Abuja Environmental Protection Board and Arm the Child Foundation, the Abuja Hub is inspiring a future where sustainability and learning go hand in hand.

“In a country like Nigeria, where millions of children are out of school and plastic waste pollutes our streets, this prize is a powerful reminder that homegrown solutions matter,” says Ifeanyi Chukwudi, Curator, Abuja Hub. “Recycle for Education is our way of turning two crises into one opportunity: using the waste choking our communities to fund the education that can transform them. This recognition tells us that innovation doesn’t have to come from far away; it’s already happening right here.”

Brasilia Hub – Solar Cerrado: Powering Local Communities

The Brasilia Hub is tackling energy inequality and environmental challenges with Solar Cerrado. In Brazil’s vulnerable Cerrado region, many families and small businesses struggle with expensive and unreliable electricity.

This project brings affordable solar power to these communities while training local professionals and educating residents about clean energy. So far, Solar Cerrado has generated more than 300 MWh of clean electricity and trained nearly 100 people in solar technology. By empowering communities with reliable energy and new skills, the initiative helps protect the local ecosystem and builds a more sustainable future.

“I believe we need to rethink how we design cities and plan development. Solar Cerrado demonstrates that infrastructure can be built from the ground up to meet local needs, combining energy, water, food and climate resilience in one integrated system,” says Stefanie Olives, Global Shaper, Brasilia Hub.

“We aim to reshape vulnerable regions into blueprints for how future cities can be inclusive, sustainable and built with the people who live in them. We are unlocking access to clean energy while embracing a vision that real progress means building a future where infrastructure has purpose, communities lead the way, and no one is left behind.”

Budaiya Hub – Find Us at the Park

In Bahrain, Budaiya Hub is transforming citizen science into climate action through Find Us at the Park. With less than 3% of national land designated as green space, this initiative addresses and underutilization of green spaces by demonstrating the tangible value of parks for both environmental protection and community engagement.

The project empowers young residents to map more than 150 public spaces and collect environmental data to influence climate adaptation policies. By co-designing local green interventions and creating an open-source model for grassroots planning, the project proves that environmental justice begins at the community level.

“Parks are not just green spaces – they are where community happens. In a warming world, building for shade, play, and connection is not optional. It’s essential,” says Abdulla AlKanderi, Curator, Budaiya Hub.

“If we want children to remember laughter under trees, not silence behind screens, we must build parks that welcome life — in every season, for every generation.”

Bulawayo Hub – Youth in Aquaponics

Young changemakers in Bulawayo Hub, Zimbabwe, are responding to food insecurity and climate stress with a sustainable, science-driven solution: aquaponics. Their closed-loop system grows vegetables and fish together using 90% less water and no soil – ideal for drought-prone, urban environments.

With Innovation Prize funding, Global Shapers will bring aquaponics systems to schools, train local youth, and pilot affordable home units – transforming limited space into a tool for resilience and food sovereignty.

“When the land can no longer feed us, we must learn to feed ourselves sustainably, intelligently, and together. Aquaponics is not just a system, it’s a lifeline for Bulawayo’s youth and their future,” says Sijabule Ndlovu, Curator, Bulawayo Hub.

Sacramento, Chicago, Oakland Hubs – Shred the Debt

In the United States, Shred the Debt is transforming lives by tackling one of America’s most pressing crises – medical debt. Led by Global Shapers in Oakland, Sacramento and Chicago, the initiative partners with Undue Medical Debt to erase debt at a 100:1 ratio, turning small donations into major relief.

After clearing $2 million in medical bills during a successful pilot, Global Shapers are now scaling to 20 cities with a goal of eliminating $10 million in medical debt – restoring dignity and advancing health equity across the country.

“Fifty per cent of adults in the United States struggle to afford healthcare – leading to a significant burden of medical debt for the most vulnerable communities. Our project Shred The Debt eliminates medical debt through grassroots campaigns to buy medical debt on the secondary market,” says Cristina Navaro, Curator, Sacramento Hub.

“The ability to scale Shred the Debt nationwide gives this initiative the opportunity to be a lifeline for millions of people in the United States.”

Curitiba Hub – Tutum

Young innovators in Curitiba Hub are protecting children from violence through Tutum, a training initiative that equips public school teachers with the tools to recognize early signs of abuse and offer critical support.

Through workshops led by experts in law, health, and psychology, educators gain the confidence to intervene and build safer learning environments. With partnerships, evaluations, and plans for regional expansion, Tutum is strengthening community safety nets and empowering teachers to become champions of child protection.

“Violence against children is a silent epidemic. Recent data shows that every hour in Brazil, 13 children experience some form of violence or abuse,” says Alice Aubrift Klenk de Azambuja, Curator, Curitiba Hub. “Curitiba Hub believes that school teachers are often the first line of defence for these vulnerable children, but they sometimes experience a lack of reliable information and a lot of taboos about how to identify violence, support children and report incidents.”

“With that perspective in mind, Tutum's inspiration is to empower these teachers with reliable sources and information so they can become agents of change in their communities,” she adds.

“The Innovation Prize will be a powerful tool to give visibility to this issue and also to support grassroots solutions like Tutum, empowering communities to protect their most vulnerable through education, awareness, and location.”

Jaipur Hub – GramIN

In India, young professionals in Jaipur Hub are bridging the rural digital divide through GramIN Tech Adoption Centres. These centres bring voice-enabled AI, telemedicine, and digital tools – delivered in local languages – to underserved rural villages.

Through partnerships with government and nonprofit leaders, the project aims to empower women, farmers and artisans with life-changing access to technology, services and new markets.

“We grew up seeing a striking paradox – we see the rural community being rich in knowledge and resiliency: technology was empowering yet alienating in the rural community,” says Aayushi Gupta, Curator, Jaipur Hub.

“And then we met Bhawri Devi who lost her husband to a deadly disease working at the marble factory. These men in the rural community had to go for this job as it provided them with financial stability that farming didn’t, since a region like Rajasthan struggles with water scarcity it becomes difficult to farm. That also gave us this push to introduce technologies that can come as a solution for this.

“This is what inspired project GramIN, we want to bridge the digital divide gap that exists in the rural areas, to showcase technology as a tool, rather than an alien concept. To support the rural communities to have access to 4IR technologies that benefit them.”

Johannesburg Hub – Empowering Female Entrepreneurs
 

In South Africa, Johannesburg Hub is fuelling women-led innovation. Tackling systemic funding gaps, Global Shapers are combining mentorship, skills training and an AI chatbot to support young female founders in scaling their businesses.

In its first year, the programme will equip 30 entrepreneurs with resources, networking and investment opportunities – laying the groundwork to impact more than 2,000 women nationwide. By unlocking female entrepreneurial potential, Johannesburg Hub is driving a more inclusive and prosperous economy.

“This prize means everything to young women like Zinhle. In South Africa, too many women with brilliant ideas are held back not because they lack potential, but because they lack access. We’re changing that,” says Mahlatse Tolamo, Curator, Johannesburg Hub.

“By offering mentorship, training and support in their own languages, we’re breaking down the barriers that keep women out of business. This isn’t just about entrepreneurship, it’s about dignity, opportunity and building a South Africa where every woman has a fair shot.”

London III Hub – Shaping Digital Futures

London III Hub leads Shaping Digital Futures, a global initiative equipping marginalized youth with cutting-edge tech skills to succeed in tomorrow’s economy. Addressing a fast-changing job landscape, the programme delivers hands-on training in AI, cybersecurity and more – building confidence and competence across communities in London, Bengaluru, India, and Brooklyn, US.

With a goal to train 15,000 learners and prepare 150 facilitators worldwide, this project unlocks human potential and advances economic mobility through inclusive digital education.

“The world of work is constantly changing, and in the next five years, 44% of core job skills are expected to change. Additionally, less than half of workers globally have access to the training needed to keep up, and young people who lack digital skills are particularly at risk of being left behind,” says Samira Ali Gomes Ramos, Curator, London III Hub.

“The Shaping Digital Futures initiative spans three Global Shaper hubs – London, New York and Bangalore – and aims to address that challenge by introducing young people to the digital skills they need to navigate the start of their careers so they don’t get left behind.

“The Shaping Digital Futures team is honoured to receive the Innovation Prize, which will allow us to continue developing and scaling our project to support 150,000 young adults across the world by 2030.”
 

Peshawar Hub – ClimaSynth

In Pakistan, Peshawar Hub is making climate knowledge actionable through ClimaSynth, an AI-powered platform that includes a local-language chatbot, carbon calculator, and digital learning modules.

By simplifying complex climate data, ClimaSynth empowers users to make informed choices. With strong early adoption and institutional partnerships, the Innovation Prize will support Global Shapers in enhancing the project’s AI engine, expanding outreach, and creating a replicable model for other climate-vulnerable communities.

“ClimaSynth is important because it empowers vulnerable communities with the climate knowledge they urgently lack,” says Ubaid Allah, Global Shaper, Peshawar Hub.

“In a city like Peshawar—facing heatwaves, pollution, and climate-driven migration—our AI-powered platform gives students, educators, and small businesses the tools to adapt, act, and build resilience. We’re turning information into action where it’s needed the most.”

San Luis Potosi Hub – Bauen

Young changemakers in the San Luis Potosi Hub are advancing inclusion for people with visual impairments. This initiative is creating tactile signage, maps and awareness materials to make public spaces more accessible, starting with hospitals, schools and government offices.

With a focus on low-cost, high-impact design, Global Shapers are training young people in Braille and disability awareness, and working with city leaders to integrate accessibility into urban planning. Bauen is building a world where every person can move safely in their city.

“True inclusion begins with awareness,” says Citlaly Jacobo, Global Shaper, San Luis Potosi Hub.

Yola Hub – Read to Rise

In Nigeria’s Adamawa State, Yola Hub is rewriting the future of education for displaced and underserved children. Using an accelerated learning model and tools like Mavis Book and Pen technology, the project has already boosted literacy by 57% – reaching more than 800 children.

The initiative also drives systemic change, collaborating with 17 organizations that offer education in emergency contexts to promote reform. With strong community engagement and culturally relevant books, Read to Rise empowers young learners and helps them reclaim their right to education.

“Read to Rise proves that innovation isn’t always high-tech. Sometimes, it’s a tent, a chalkboard, and a teacher who believes in a child’s future,” says Sarah Edgar, Curator, Yola Hub.

“I remember a boy named Obama who once said, ‘I have no dream.’ Months later, he told me, ‘Now I want to be a teacher like you.’ That’s what this work is about—restoring dreams and helping children rise beyond their hardship.”