Award Categories

● Purpose:

This award recognises and celebrates a businessperson or leader who has made a significant and positive impact in their community through giving back as a result of their success in business. This impact may include, but is not limited to, building schools or clinics, sending children to school, supporting orphans and the elderly, building roads, or contributing to environmental protection and climate resilience. The investment or contribution must be of high value and carried out outside the operations of their own
business or daily profit-making activities.

● Criteria:

• High-value investment in community development initiatives outside of core business operations.
• Quantifiable impact, demonstrated sustainability, and strong community engagement.
• Financial commitment, innovation, and clear social impact, sustained over a minimum of five years.

●Purpose:

This award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to humanitarian efforts by providing aid and support to communities in times of crisis. It recognises someone who has gone beyond the ordinary to mobilise significant resources—either individually or by rallying others—for the benefit of affected populations. The nominee must demonstrate that they played a highly influential role in raising or mobilising resources valued at over $50,000 in response to emergencies such as cyclones, droughts, pandemics, or other crises.

● Criteria:

• Scope and scale of the humanitarian contribution, including the nominee’s leadership and direct role in resource mobilisation.
• Demonstrated impact on affected communities.
• Dedication and sustained involvement in humanitarian work for a minimum of five years.

●Purpose:

This award celebrates an individual whose initiative(s) have created meaningful social change by addressing critical issues such as education, health, support for the elderly and people with disabilities, or broader community development. The nominee must have mobilised resources and carried out work to improve the well-being of their community, demonstrating a tangible and lasting contribution.

● Criteria:

• Measurable social impact with clear evidence of outcomes.
• Innovation, scalability, and sustainability of the initiative(s).
• Consistent contribution and commitment sustained over a minimum of five years.

●Purpose:

This award celebrates an individual or group in the entertainment industry who has used their platform to drive social change and raise awareness of important societal issues. The recipient must have clearly led or championed a critical cause that is traceable and demonstrates measurable impact whether related to social ills, human rights, or advocacy beyond their own comfort or personal gain. Nominees should also uphold a clean public image with respect to all human rights, including women’s rights, and demonstrate
a progressive and responsible approach to social engagement.

● Criteria:

• Proven influence and reach within the entertainment industry.
• Active advocacy and visible contribution to social causes.
• Sustained commitment over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose:

This award celebrates a young individual between the ages of 18 to 35 who is making significant contributions to their community through influence, leadership, and selflessness. The nominee must demonstrate a measurable impact achieved beyond their own comfort through personal resources, time, and passion. Their contribution may address any social issue, including but not limited to advancing education, sport, or job creation, provided they can show tangible results, particularly the number of people, including youths and women, positively impacted or employed.

● Criteria:

• Innovation and leadership in driving community initiatives.
• Demonstrated community involvement and measurable impact.
• Sustained commitment and contribution over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose:

This award honors an individual whose personal efforts have contributed meaningfully to reducing poverty through sustainable development, economic empowerment, and community-driven initiatives. The nominee must clearly demonstrate initiatives or actions they led or implemented, with quantifiable impact on poverty alleviation, sustained over a minimum of five years.

● Criteria:

• Measurable outcomes and effectiveness of poverty reduction efforts.
• Innovation and sustainability of the initiatives.
• Demonstrated commitment and impact sustained for at least five years.

● Purpose:

This award celebrates the significant efforts of an individual who has contributed to environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. The nominee must demonstrate tangible and self-led actions—whether through personal initiatives or by mobilising others—that have made a measurable impact on preserving natural ecosystems, including flora and fauna. Their work should reflect a strong sense of passion, selflessness, and dedication to environmental stewardship.

● Criteria:

• Demonstrated environmental impact and innovation in conservation or climate action.
• Sustainability and scalability of the initiative(s).
• Proven commitment and measurable impact sustained over a minimum of five years.

●Purpose:

This award celebrates an individual who has made significant contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights. The nominee must demonstrate selfless devotion to any area of human rights—including women’s rights, children’s rights, the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities, universal rights, democracy, governance, or accountability. They should show how their efforts, whether individually or through institutions, have resulted in meaningful and scalable impact.

● Criteria:

• Demonstrated advocacy, leadership, and implementation of human rights initiatives.
• Tangible and measurable impact on human rights issues.
• Proven commitment and sustained contribution over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose:

This award recognizes an athlete who has leveraged their success in sport to give back to their community through significant investment of wealth, resources, or talent. The individual must demonstrate how they have contributed to causes such as education, youth development, infrastructure, or social change. This may include using sport as a tool to promote health, gender equality, unity, or community development. All contributions must be clearly measurable and impactful.

● Criteria:

• Demonstrated sportsmanship and advocacy through sport.
• Measurable community impact and contribution to social causes.
• Proven commitment and sustained involvement over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose:

This award honors a journalist or storyteller who has made a significant impact through consistent reporting and storytelling that brings attention to critical human rights or development issues. The nominee must demonstrate a sustained focus on a key issue or issues, producing content that has influenced policy change or societal behavior. Eligible work may include a minimum of 10 articles on one issue, or 20 articles on up to three issues, or a substantial body of work such as films, documentaries, docu-series, or unsponsored skits produced within the last two years.

● Criteria:

• Investigative excellence and ethical storytelling.
• Demonstrated impact of their work on public awareness or policy.
• Proven commitment and sustained engagement over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose

This award celebrates an artist who has consistently used their creative talents to address pressing social issues across Southern and East Africa, including but not limited to human rights, inequality, positive cultural transformation, democracy, governance, and accountability. The nominee must be apolitical, engaging inclusively across communities or the country to promote their message. Eligible art forms include music, poetry, painting, theatre, sculpture, photography, and film. The individual must prove authorship of their work and present a substantial body of work that demonstrates dedication and commitment to their cause.

Please note: Zimbabweans are not eligible to apply for this award.

● Criteria:

• Artistic excellence and originality.
• Measurable influence, advocacy, and cultural impact.
• Proven consistency and sustained engagement over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose:

This award celebrates an individual who has served as an exemplary role model in Southern and East Africa, inspiring fellow Africans through their actions and achievements to foster unity and Pan- Africanism. This award honors both youthful and mature leaders who actively promote the idea that Africa is one, working to unite the region in spirit, purpose, and development. The recipient must demonstrate cross-border engagement on critical issues such as human rights, education, governance, business, or other areas of social progress, with visible efforts that span at least two countries in advancing humanity.

Please note: Zimbabweans are not eligible to apply for this award.

● Criteria:

• Demonstrated African leadership, cross-country collaboration, and regional influence.
• Notable achievements and contributions to unity, development, or Pan-Africanism.
• Proven consistency and sustained engagement over a minimum of five years.

● Purpose

This award honors a social activist, business leader, or entrepreneur who has championed the use of emerging technologies to drive transformative and measurable impact in Southern and East African communities. For business leaders or entrepreneurs, the recognized work must be undertaken beyond their routine business operations. To qualify, nominees must have demonstrated consistent commitment over a span of at least five years, with clear and sustained impact. Whether through direct innovation, in fields
such as fintech, AgriTech, edtech, Healthtech, AI, or renewable energy—or through advocacy and resource mobilization for digital inclusion, this award celebrates individuals advancing community well-being through technology. It also recognizes efforts to expand basic technological access, particularly in underserved or marginalized areas, helping to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive growth.

● Criteria:

• Demonstrated use or sustained advocacy of innovative and emerging technologies to solve real community challenges, including improved digital access and inclusion.
• Proven, quantifiable impact on communities through tech-based solutions, skills development, and digital literacy over a minimum of five years.
• Mobilization of financial, policy, or community support with a focus on sustainability, scalability, and relevance to Zimbabwe’s and the region’s development priorities.