Six women win 2026 Goldman prize, world’s top environmental award | Environment News
Goldman Environmental Prize Honors First All-Women Cohort of Recipients
This year’s Goldman Environmental Prize has recognized six grassroots activists from across the globe for their dedication to combating climate change and preserving biodiversity. For the first time since its inception in 1989, all awardees 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.
Often referred to as the “Green Nobel,” the Goldman Prize celebrates individuals from each of six regions worldwide, each receiving $200,000 in recognition of their contributions to environmental advocacy.
“While we continue to face significant challenges in protecting the environment and implementing effective climate policies both in the U.S. 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 exemplify that courage, hard work, and hope can lead to meaningful progress.”
Among the honorees, Morales Blanco has taken a stand against major oil companies, successfully preventing the introduction of commercial fracking in Colombia. Growing up in Puerto Wilches, an Afro-Colombian fishing community along the Magdalena River, she began organizing protests following a disastrous oil spill in 2018 that displaced many families and harmed local wildlife. Her persistence in activism has raised awareness of fracking issues in Colombia’s political landscape.
Fellow recipient Borim Kim, representing Asia, garnered attention for her youth-led climate advocacy with the organization Youth 4 Climate Action. She won a significant ruling from South Korea’s Constitutional Court affirming that the government’s climate policies infringe upon the constitutional rights of future generations.
Europe’s representative, Finch, plans to allocate her prize money toward continued efforts against fossil fuel extraction in southeastern England. She has collaborated with the Weald Action Group for over a decade and helped secure a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court in 2024 that mandates authorities to consider the climate impact of fossil fuel extraction before granting permits.
Matbob, from Papua New Guinea, successfully led a campaign against the environmental degradation linked to the Rio Tinto-operated Panguna copper mine, addressing the legacy of destruction stemming from the mine’s closure 35 years ago, following local uprisings.
Hurley, representing North America, played a crucial role alongside 15 tribal nations in halting a significant copper and gold mining project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, which is home to the world’s largest wild salmon runs.
In Nigeria, Tanshi has focused her efforts on the endangered short-tailed roundleaf bat, working to preserve its habitat within the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, threatened by human-caused wildfires.
The Goldman Environmental Prize continues to highlight vital grassroots activism, empowering leaders who strive to protect the planet.
