John Legend to host the Global Citizen Prize Awards

Today, SABC3 announced with international advocacy organisation Global Citizen that Alessia Cara, Carrie Underwood, Common, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, JoJo, and Tori Kelly will perform at the Global Citizen Prize award special to be broadcast on SABC 3 on 20 December 2020. Include appearances by: 

• John Oliver
• Nick Jonas
• Nikolaj Coster-Waldau  
• Priyanka Chopra Jonas 

John Legend will also serve as the host of the broadcast event, which will celebrate and honour leaders who are shaping the world we want and doing pivotal work to help end extreme poverty.

The Global Citizen Prize honours those making extraordinary efforts to lift the world’s most vulnerable. To make the world a better place and who inspire others to stand up and take action. The broadcast special will air on SABC3, 20 December 2020 at 9:30 P.M. Visit Globalcitizen.org for a full listing of global broadcast times.

Proud partners of the Global Citizen Prize include Cisco, P&G and Citi. This year’s Global Citizen Prize will be recognized across six categories, including: 

• Global Citizen of the Year: Celebrates an individual who has proven exceptional and sustained impact toward the end of extreme poverty and its systemic causes.  
• Global Citizen Prize for World Leader: Honours a political figure who advocates for and has implemented policy changes that have improved the lives of those living in poverty. Finalists for this year’s Prize include:
  •  Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel
  • Chairwoman & Managing Director of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva
  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
  • Executive Director of UNAIDS Winnie Byanyima. 
• Global Citizen Prize for Business Leader: Honours an individual in the business community who has combined business goals with positive human impact.  
• Global Citizen Artist of the Year: Honors a creative individual or group using their platform and their work to create change not only through conversation but meaningful impact.
• Cisco Youth Leadership Award: Established by Cisco and Global Citizen, celebrates an individual aged 18-30 who has contributed meaningfully towards the goal of ending extreme poverty in their community. The award includes a $250,000 prize paid to the organisation to which the individual contributes. This year’s finalists include: 
  • Founder and President of Virtualahan
  • Ryan Gersava (Philippines)
  • Founder and CEO of the Myna Mahila Foundation
  • Suhani Jalota (India)
  • Founder and Managing Director of Water Access Rwanda, Christelle Kwizera (Rwanda). 
• Global Citizen Country Hero Award: Celebrates individuals around the world who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving the Global Goals and championing the most vulnerable. The award will be presented in: 
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
  • Australia  
  • Mexico
    • Country Hero Awardees include: 
      • Burnet Institute Director & CEO in Professor Brendan Crabb AC (Australia)
      • Founder of Help A Girl Out in Yanique Brandford (Canada)
      • Founder of Space2GroW and women’s rights advocate Anab Mohamud (Germany)
      • Founder of Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo (Mexico)
      • Executive Director of Stand To End Rape Initiative (STER) Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi (Nigeria)
      • Directors of the WISE Collective Brenda Madumise-Pajibo, Onica N. Makwakwa and Pinky Mgobozi (South Africa)
      • Co-founder and co-director of Green New Deal Fatima Ibrahim (United Kingdom). 
  • The Country Hero Award in Australia, Germany, South Africa, and the United Kingdom is presented by Vodafone, and in Mexico by Citibanamex.

Also, the Global Citizen Prize is introducing three awards. Selected by the Global Citizen and a team of advisors to recognise individuals or organisations who have demonstrated exceptional impact over the preceding year creating positive change and inspiring others through compassion, innovation and unwavering dedication in their respective fields.

They include:

• Global Citizen Prize for Philanthropy: Honours a philanthropist, or philanthropic group, who has shown extraordinary leadership, stepping forward to accelerate their giving in support of the world’s biggest challenges and in pursuit of achieving the United Nations Global Goals. 
• Global Citizen Prize for Culture & Education: Honours an individual or organisation who has excelled in creating positive change through an artistic or educational endeavour.  
• Global Citizen Prize for Activism: Honours an individual or organisation whose activism has driven significant and exemplary impact for society at a local or global level.

Finally, Global Citizen has also launched the #My2020Hero social media campaign, inviting everyone to honour the people in their lives who have done something special during this difficult year to support them, their community, or the world, as we take a moment together to focus on gratitude and hope.

The 2019 Global Citizen Prize winners included: 

• Sting
• Founder & CEO of HealthSetGo Priya Prakash
• Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya
• Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina J. Mohammed
• Filmmaker Richard Curtis. 

The Global Citizen Prize was launched in 2018 for the categories of World Leader and Youth Leadership and presented live on stage at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Prime Minister of Norway, Her Excellency Erna Solberg, and food and nutrition activist Wawira Njiru of Kenya.

The Global Citizen Prize is produced by Audrey Morrissey, Ivan Dudnysky, and Jayson Belt for Live Animals and Hugh Evans, Liza Henshaw, Katie Hill, Lee Rolontz and Molly McGuiness for Global Citizen. The Prize has also received support from in-kind supporters, including Bandsintown, BellaNaija, BOO! Surprising Media Solutions, Central Ontario Broadcasting, Curb Taxi Media, Der Stern, The Economist, Forbes, Grassroots, iHeartMedia, Jack Agency, JCDecaux Nigeria, Marketing and Media Ltd., Mass-Media, The Beat 9.99FM, The New York Times, Seen Media Group, Spotify, Superiate, TIDAL, Twitter, UK-Billboards, Vanguard Media and XP Digital.

Since the first Global Citizen Festival in New York in 2012, Global Citizen has grown into one of the largest, most visible platforms for people around the world calling on world leaders to honour their responsibilities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ending extreme poverty by 2030. Global Citizens have mobilised $48.5 billion in commitments and policy announcements from leaders that have impacted the lives of 880 million people living in extreme poverty.

For more information about the Global Citizen Prize, please visit www.globalcitizen.org/prize and follow @GlblCtzn Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #GlobalCitizen.