What's happened
The 2025 Right Livelihood Awards honor efforts in collective action, resilience, and democracy. Winners include Sudanese mutual aid networks, climate justice advocates, Myanmar transparency fighters, and Taiwanese digital reformers. The awards emphasize hope amid rising authoritarianism and division, with ceremonies in Stockholm on December 2.
What's behind the headline?
The 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates exemplify a strategic shift towards recognizing grassroots resilience and legal activism in a polarized world. The Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms demonstrate how community-led mutual aid can sustain populations amid war and collapse, challenging international aid limitations. Meanwhile, Pacific Island youth and Julian Aguon leverage legal systems to push climate justice, transforming survival into rights-based advocacy. Justice for Myanmar exposes financial and corporate complicity, highlighting the importance of investigative activism in eroding military support. Audrey Tang’s digital innovations showcase how technology can renew democracy and bridge divides. These laureates collectively underscore that resilience, transparency, and collective action are the most effective responses to rising authoritarianism and climate crises. Their work signals a future where local initiatives and legal activism will increasingly shape global responses, emphasizing that hope and innovation are vital in confronting systemic failures. This recognition will likely inspire further grassroots and legal efforts worldwide, fostering a more resilient and just global community.
What the papers say
The New Arab emphasizes the laureates' focus on collective action and resilience, highlighting Sudan's mutual aid network and Myanmar's investigative activism. The Independent echoes this, stressing the global scope and the importance of grassroots responses amid rising authoritarianism. AP News provides a concise overview, noting the diversity of efforts and the award's history of honoring overlooked initiatives. All sources collectively portray the laureates as exemplars of hope and resilience, emphasizing their role in inspiring future activism and reform. The coverage underscores that these awards are a timely reminder of the power of community-led action and legal advocacy in addressing today's complex crises.
How we got here
The Right Livelihood Award, established in 1980, recognizes efforts ignored by the Nobel Prizes. This year's laureates were selected from 159 nominees across 67 countries, reflecting a focus on grassroots resilience, climate justice, and transparency. The awards come amid global challenges like authoritarianism, climate change, and conflict, aiming to spotlight innovative responses and collective action.
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Common question
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Who Are the 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates?
The 2025 Right Livelihood Awards highlight inspiring efforts in resilience, activism, and community-led change worldwide. These laureates come from diverse backgrounds and focus on issues like climate justice, transparency, and grassroots resistance. Curious about who these remarkable individuals and groups are? Below, we explore the winners and what their achievements mean for global resilience and activism.
More on these topics
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Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. Neighbouring countries include the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.
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Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in North-East Africa. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, Libya to the northwest, Chad to the west, the Central African Republic to the southwest, South Sudan to the south, Ethiopia to the southe
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Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has a population...
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Audrey Tang is a Taiwanese free software programmer and Digital Minister of Taiwan, who has been described as one of the "ten greatest Taiwanese computing personalities".