International Children’s Peace Prize 20205: Who will be the young activist to be awarded this year?
The winner of the International Children's Peace Prize for 2025 will be announced today during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. The recipient will be a young change-maker who has made an exceptional difference in promoting children's rights.
New Delhi: One of the most prestigious prizes awarded to children between the age of 12 to 18, The International Children's Peace Prize, will be announced today during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. The International Children's Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children's rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children around the world across diverse areas of vulnerability.
A worthy prize
The International Children's Peace Prize holds a reputation as one of the leading youth prizes internationally. The award was started in 2005, by the KidsRights, a Dutch-based organisation. It is supported each year by Nobel Peace Laureates, and the prize celebrates the inspiring stories of young individuals aged between 12 to 18. The children are marked by their courageous intent to defend children’s rights as they create real, lasting impact in their communities and beyond.
The winner of the award receives the Nkosi statuette, the Desmond Tutu Fund, a study and care grant to continue their education, as well as a project fund of €100,000 to support their cause and expand their efforts with the help of KidsRights. Past laureates include Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg
A worthy winner
For this year’s award, three young leaders from Syria/Turkey, Indonesia, and the USA have been selected for their work towards advancing children’s rights, environmental justice, and climate action. The winner will be revealed at Stockholm’s iconic City Hall on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Ekin Ergün Björstedt, Secretary General, Global Child Forum, said of the finalists, "These finalists are not only inspiring—they are instructive. They show what principled action for children looks like: listening to young people, confronting harm, and turning empathy into policy and practice. At Global Child Forum we see, every day, that when companies take children’s rights seriously—across supply chains, products and policies—they unlock trust, resilience and innovation. We’re honoured to co-host this year’s ceremony in Stockholm and to help amplify the voices of young leaders who are already shaping a fairer future.”
The finalists include Bana Alabed, aged 15 who belongs to Syria/Turkey. A powerful advocate for children in conflict, after surviving the 2016 siege of Aleppo, she began documenting the realities of war through diaries, blogs and social media. Celebrated for amplifying the voices of children in Syria, she continues to campaign for the protection of missing and war-affected children.
Another is Aeshnina "Nina” Azzahra Aqilani from Indonesia who is 17 years of age. Known as a leading voice against "plastic colonialism,” she began campaigning at age 12 after discovering imported plastic waste in her community. Her advocacy has helped spur international action around the cause, including measures under the European Green Deal to end exports of plastic waste outside the EU from 2027.
The final contender for the award is 16-year-old Divyansh Agrawal from the USA. Founder of the Junior Philanthropists Foundation, Divyansh has helped mobilise more than 10,000 young people across 27 US states to advocate for environmental reform. He has supported the passage of 18 environmental bills in California and improving access to clean water for 1.2 million people. Significantly, he also co-drafted the Global Youth Statement at COP29 (2024), urging stronger climate resilience.