Commonwealth Youth Award 2025

The Commonwealth Youth Award is open to all nationals. The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work are organized by the Commonwealth Youth Programme with the goal of recognizing and honoring young people throughout the Commonwealth who are leading influential, long-term development initiatives in their local communities. The Khalili Foundation and the Commonwealth Foundation have partnered together this year to present additional funds and prizes to qualified applicants for the 2025 Awards.

The main objectives of this international youth award are to highlight the exceptional achievements made by youth in the advancement of a just, peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future. This involves making progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. Commonwealth enables young leaders to bring change in their communities and cultivate an atmosphere that supports and encourages investments in youth-led development initiatives.

By sharing the success stories of the nominees, this international awards competition hopes to inspire others and demonstrate the depth and range of talent, dedication, and innovation among young people across the Commonwealth. This opportunity will give exceptional young people particular recognition in collaboration with the Commonwealth Foundation. Selected regional finalists will be eligible to receive Capacity Strengthening Grants. These awards are dependent on satisfactory reporting and evaluation.

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work acknowledge the efforts of young people initiating projects ranging from promoting peace to reducing poverty. The prizes serve as a reminder to decision-makers in government and other fields of influence how crucial youth development is. In addition, the prizes motivate other young people to get involved in their communities. In this Commonwealth Youth Awards contest, work in development can take many different forms, including science, human rights, education, arts and culture, environment protection, technology, sports, and much more.

• Every Commonwealth region will have four finalists, and the winners of each region’s competition will be named Regional Winners.
• The Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2025 will be given to the top Regional Winner, who will also win the Pan-Commonwealth Award.
• A £1,000 stipend, a trophy, and a certificate will be awarded to each of the 20 Regional Finalists.
• In addition to a trophy and a diploma, the five regional winners will get an extra £2,000 for a total of £3,000.
• In addition to a trophy and a diploma, the Pan-Commonwealth Winner will win an extra £2,000, for a total of £5,000.
• Three youth PEACE prizes from the Khalili Foundation will be given to young individuals involved in development and peace.
• The Commonwealth Foundation may give additional awards in accordance with eligibility.

• The nominees must be Commonwealth citizens, and the development work must be conducted in a Commonwealth member nation.
• They must also have been involved in development work for more than 12 months, either professionally or volunteerism.
• The nominee must be between the ages of 15 and 29 on December 31, 2024.
• Applicants can put themselves forward for nomination or accept a nomination from someone who can clearly outline their work in development.