What is the Canon Young Champion of the Year Award?
The Canon Young Champion of the Year Award is about rewarding young people who have campaigned for a good cause around a social or environmental issue. If you’re passionate about supporting a local or global issue and are between 9-21 years old (at the point of the entry deadline), then you can submit an entry to this free-to-enter category, sponsored by Canon EMEA.
Whether it be mental health, cyber-bullying, well-being, environmental sustainability, education, charity activism, animal welfare, diversity & inclusion or any subject linked to the above SDGs, we want to hear how you are making people aware of the issue you are championing.
Want to enter?
Please read all the information available to you including the description, criteria and terms and conditions via the category button below. If you’re happy you’ve read all the advice on offer and you’re ready to start your entry, click on the other button and it’ll take you straight to the entry platform where you can get cracking and download your application form.
Benefits of entering
The two winners (One Under 21s and one Under 17s) will each receive a Canon R50 Content Creator Kit (worth nearly £1000!) plus both will be invited to have a Master Class with a Canon Ambassador.
Eight further finalists will receive a certificate, sustainably made medal, and a joint Master Class with a Canon Ambassador.
Our previous winners have told us that, because of their win, they’ve been given a stronger platform to campaign for their cause.
- Read Samuel’s statement here on page 15!
- Two 2023 finalists and one winner had the incredible opportunity to be featured by Warner Bros. Discovery as a Climate Champion (see below)
- Nabilah Chowdhury also got the opportunity to do a day of filming with Canon, sharing her message across the world and she’s about to be featured in The Week Junior
- Mir and Mishal from the UAE were invited to Expo 2020 in Dubai and interviewed by the Expo presenters
- 2022 winner, Netra Venkatesh, had the opportunity to write a blog for Canon which was published on their website and shared across all their social channels
You can also have a look at this page, where you can catch up on how life has changed since being crowned a GGA Canon Young Champ!
Three Climate Champions…
We were delighted when Cartoon Network (part of Warner Bros Discovery) chose to showcase the Global Good Awards ‘Canon Young Champion’ 2023 finalists Olivia Mandle Navarro, Jodie Bailey-Ho, and winner Raheen Fatima for their outstanding contributions in the fight against climate change.
The girls were interviewed about their journeys as activists, sharing their inspirational stories and real insights on how they overcame challenges. They talked about taking those first steps and showed how every kid around the world can become a Climate Champion, and achieve more than they ever imagined.
Cartoon Network will leverage its reach and platforms to showcase Olivia, Jodie, and Raheen, with the aim of inspiring an audience of younger 6-11 year olds, demonstrating how even the smallest changes can make a big difference. The interviews will air on Cartoon Network channels and be available to stream on HBO Max across EMEA in 2024.
You can watch the final cut here.
Register your interest to enter
If you are interested in entering, or you would like to enter on someone’s behalf, please complete the following information*:
*Rest assured that all contact information is only used internally and NEVER given to 3rd parties.
Previous Winners
The Canon Young Champion has been running since 2020. To read more about our most recent 2024 winners, click here.
To see who the previous winners were, click on any of the images below.
2023
2022
2021
2020
Encourage our Next Gen leaders to enter!
We’ve created an easy to follow toolkit to help you to spread the word and encourage our Next Gen leaders to enter. You can download it here.
The Judging Panel
Six judges will be confirmed; three for Young Champion of the Year and three for Young People Programme Partner of the Year (the latter open only to Canon YPP Partners). You can read about our judges on the main Judging Panel page.
Steve Kenzie | Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network UK
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Laura El-Tantawy | Documentary Photographer & Canon Ambassador
Jodie Bailey-Ho | Founder, Teach the Teacher & 2023 Young Champion Finalist
Georgina Stevens | Sustainability Advisor, Writer, Rewilder, Campaigner
