For the first time since the prize began in 1989, every winner of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize is a woman. The six grassroots activists represent Colombia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

A rare all-woman cohort

The Goldman Environmental Prize honored six grassroots activists from six regions with its 2026 awards — the first time since the prize's founding in 1989 that every recipient is a woman. The cohort represents Colombia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Profiles of the winners

  • Yuvelis Morales Blanco (South and Central America — Colombia): An activist from the Afro-Colombian community of Puerto Wilches on the Magdalena River. Morales Blanco began organizing after a major oil spill in 2018 that forced families to relocate and caused severe damage to wildlife. Her campaigning helped halt projects that would have introduced commercial fracking in Colombia and pushed fracking onto the national election agenda in 2022. She also faced intimidation that led to a temporary relocation. Morales Blanco said, "We had nothing but the river – she was like a mother who took care of me."
  • Borim Kim (Asia — South Korea): Led Youth 4 Climate Action. Her group secured a Constitutional Court ruling finding that South Korea's climate policy violated the constitutional rights of future generations.
  • Sarah Finch (Europe — United Kingdom): Has worked with the Weald Action Group to oppose oil drilling in southeastern England. The group won a Supreme Court decision in June 2024 — widely known as the "Finch ruling" — that requires authorities to consider fossil fuels' effect on the global climate when evaluating extraction permits. Finch said she will use her prize money to continue fighting fossil fuels.
  • Iroro Tanshi (Africa — Nigeria): Recognized for grassroots campaigns targeting local environmental threats linked to broader pressures such as fossil-fuel expansion and biodiversity loss.
  • Theonila Roka Matbob (Pacific — Papua New Guinea): Recognized for grassroots campaigns addressing local environmental threats tied to global pressures.
  • Alannah Acaq Hurley (North America — United States): Recognized for grassroots campaigns tackling local environmental threats tied to global pressures.

Legal victories, local struggles

Several winners won court decisions or used legal strategies to force governments and companies to account for climate or environmental harm. The legal wins in South Korea and the United Kingdom show how courts are becoming arenas for environmental politics, with judges requiring decision-makers to weigh future harms tied to climate change.

At the same time, the prize highlights the risks activists face. Morales Blanco's experience of intimidation and displacement is a reminder that public interest campaigns can carry personal danger, especially when they confront extractive industries and local power holders.

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"The 2026 Prize winners are proof positive that courage, hard work, and hope go a long way toward creating meaningful progress," said John Goldman, vice president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation.