Individuals and organisational representatives working to end extreme poverty are invited to apply for the 2026 Global Citizen Waislitz Awards — now in its twelfth year and one of the most prestigious recognition programmes for anti-poverty work globally. Presented by the Waislitz Foundation and Global Citizen, the awards offer a total of $300,000 USD across three prizes of $100,000 each, celebrating excellence, innovation, and measurable impact in the fight against extreme poverty.
They present three annual awards to individuals whose work disrupts the systems that allow extreme poverty to persist.
The Three Awards:
Global Citizen Waislitz Prize — $100,000 Awarded to the winner who best demonstrates excellence across all five evaluation criteria.
Disruptor Award — $100,000 Awarded to the applicant who excels specifically in the Disruption criterion — creating measurable impact through innovative approaches that challenge the systems sustaining extreme poverty.
Global Citizens’ Choice Award — $100,000 Awarded to the winner selected with input from online voting by the Global Citizen community.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Global Citizenship — How does the applicant embody and exemplify the values and practices of a Global Citizen?
- Proof of Concept — Does the applicant have a strong proof of concept with at least one to two years of demonstrable impact towards ending extreme poverty?
- Disruption — Has the applicant created measurable impact in an innovative manner that disrupts the systems allowing extreme poverty to exist?
Who Can Apply:
- Individuals aged 18 and above from anywhere in the world
- Individual representatives of organisations working to end extreme poverty
- Applicants with at least one to two years of demonstrated impact
Note: The prize will be awarded to an individual, but the funds will be allocated to the organisation the individual works for.