KidsRights, in partnership with
Global Child Forum, announces finalists for the 2025 International Children’s Peace Prize

Three outstanding young leaders from Syria/Turkey, Indonesia, and the USA recognised for advancing children’s rights, environmental justice, and climate action. Winner to be revealed at Stockholm’s iconic City Hall on Wednesday, 19 November 2025; Global Child Forum is co-host.

The international children’s rights organization KidsRights today announced the three finalists for the International Children’s Peace Prize 2025—one of the world’s most prominent youth awards honouring exceptional advocacy for children’s rights. Now in its 21st year, the Prize drew more than 200 nominations from 47 countries. A panel of independent experts has shortlisted three remarkable young changemakers:

• Bana Alabed (15, Syria/Turkey) – A powerful advocate for children in conflict. After surviving the 2016 siege of Aleppo, Bana began documenting the realities of war through diaries, blogs and social media, amplifying the voices of children in Syria and highlighting crises affecting children in Ukraine and Sudan. She continues to campaign for the protection of missing and war-affected children.
• Aeshnina “Nina” Azzahra Aqilani (17, Indonesia) – A leading voice against “plastic colonialism.” Nina began campaigning at age 12 after discovering imported plastic waste in her community. Her advocacy—including direct appeals to world leaders—helped spur international action, including measures under the European Green Deal to end exports of plastic waste outside the EU from 2027.
• Divyansh Agrawal (16, USA) – Founder of the Junior Philanthropists Foundation, Divyansh has mobilised more than 10,000 young people across 27 US states to advocate for environmental reform, supporting the passage of 18 environmental bills in California and improving access to clean water for 1.2 million people. He co-drafted the Global Youth Statement at COP29 (2024), urging stronger climate resilience.

The 2025 laureate will be announced on Wednesday, 19 November 2025, at a ceremony in Stockholm’s City Hall, home to the Nobel Prize banquet. The event will be co-hosted with Global Child Forum, the independent foundation initiated by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf and H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden. The winner will receive the Nkosi Statuette and the Desmond Tutu Study and Care Grant, and will be eligible to apply for a €50,000 project fund to scale their impact.

Marc Dullaert, Founder and Chair, KidsRights, said: “The International Children’s Peace Prize is a testament to the courage, creativity and determination of young leaders who refuse to accept the status quo. This year’s finalists—Nina, Bana and Divyansh—are confronting some of the most urgent challenges of our time, from protecting children in conflict to tackling plastic waste and the climate crisis. Their leadership is reshaping agendas for governments, businesses and communities worldwide.”

Ekin Ergün Björstedt, Secretary General, Global Child Forum, said: “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.”

Media contacts:
KidsRights – Press Office (via Weber Shandwick)
Email: KidsRights@webershandwick.com

Launched by KidsRights in 2005 at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, the International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating for children’s rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children. Past laureates include Malala Yousafzai (2013) and Greta Thunberg (2019). Each year, the Prize is presented by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate; in 2025, Tawakkol Karman (Nobel Peace Prize 2011) will announce the winner. In 2024, the winner’s message reached 3.8 billion people through international media.