Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work 2025 (Up To £5,000 grant, a trophy and a certificate)

Reach us on

Applications are now open for Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work to recognize and celebrate young people (aged 15 – 29) in the Commonwealth who are spearheading impactful, sustainable development work in their communities.

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work celebrate the contribution of young people to achieving global development goals.

Each year an outstanding entrant is named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, with regional awards given for Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Americas, Africa and Europe.

This year, the Commonwealth Foundation and the Khalili Foundation have joined as partners for the 2025 Awards to offer additional grants and prizes to eligible applicants.

Commonwealth Youth Awards Objectives

Highlight Contributions: Recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of young people in promoting a future built on fairness, peace, prosperity, and sustainability. This includes efforts toward achieving the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Encourage Youth-Led Development: Foster an environment that encourages and sustains investments in youth-led development initiatives, empowering young leaders to drive change in their communities.
Showcase Talent and Creativity: Illustrate the depth and breadth of talent, commitment, and creativity among young people across the Commonwealth by sharing nominees’ success stories, thereby inspiring others.
Motivate and Challenge Young People: Motivate, encourage, and challenge young people to set high standards for their work and service at community, national, regional, or international levels.
Provide Special Recognition and Support: In partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation, offer special recognition to outstanding young individuals, with the potential to award Capacity Strengthening Grants to selected regional finalists. These grants are contingent upon successful reporting and assessment.
Recognize Peace and Development Efforts: In partnership with the Khalili Foundation, support the recognition of three Peace and Development Prizes for eligible young changemakers, celebrating their contributions to creating a more peaceful and equitable world.

Commonwealth Youth Awards Funding Information

The 20 Regional Finalists will each receive a £1,000 grant, a trophy and a certificate.
The 5 Regional Winners will receive an additional £2,000 (a total of £3,000) a trophy and a certificate.
The Pan-Commonwealth Winner will receive an additional £2,000 (a total of £5,000) a trophy and a certificate.

Eligibility Criteria for Commonwealth Youth Awards

There will be four finalists for each Commonwealth region with the top entries receiving the Regional Winner Award. The top Regional Winner will receive the Pan-Commonwealth Award and be named the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2025.
The nominee must have been engaged in development work for more than 12 months, either in a professional or voluntary capacity.
The nominee must be a Commonwealth citizen and the development work must be taking place in a Commonwealth member country.
The nominee be aged 15 to 29 years old on 31 December 2024 and
Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone who can accurately describe their development work.