Apply — YALS 40 Under 40

Nominate someone

Nominate a changemaker

We expect nominators to know their nominee and their work well. Your nominee is invited to review, correct and complete everything you write here before anything is assessed, and you will not see their final application.
Citizenship and residence are asked separately. Someone living in one country may hold the nationality of another, and we publish the nationality, not the address.

Fields marked * are required.

How this nomination will be assessed. Judges score against seven published criteria. Write with these in mind.

Demonstrable impact30%

Leadership and personal contribution15%

Credibility of evidence15%

Sustainability and growth15%

Innovation and problem-solving10%

Values, integrity and inclusion10%

Public engagement and influence5%

1 · About you, the nominator

Full name*

Email address*

Country*

Telephone · optional

Organisation · optional

Position · optional

Your relationship to the nominee*

2 · Who you are nominating

Full name*

Email address*

Date of birth*

Gender · optional

Country of citizenship*

Country of residence*

State or region · optional

City or community*

Occupation or profession*

Organisation · where known

Position or title · where known

Telephone · where known

Personal website · optional

Organisation website · optional

Public or social media profiles · optional

African country or community their work is connected to*

Suggested category*

Short professional biography* · 150 to 250 words

3 · Eligibility

Age is calculated against the nomination closing date, Saturday 31 October 2026 at 23:59 GMT. Your nominee confirms their own date of birth when they accept, and shortlisted honourees are asked for proof at the verification stage.

I confirm my nominee will be aged 18 to 39 on the nomination closing date.*

I confirm their work has a genuine African connection, as described on the programme page.*

4 · Their impact

What impact statement, supported by evidence, can you write about them?* · 300 to 500 words

What was their personal role, and what did they initiate, decide or take responsibility for?* · up to 200 words

What is different about their approach, and how is the work sustained or growing?* · up to 200 words

What can you say about their values, integrity and inclusion in practice?* · up to 200 words

Why should they be recognised among the YALS 40 Under 40?* · up to 300 words

5 · Media coverage and public evidence

Provide at least three external articles, posts, write-ups or media publications from the last 12 months about your nominee or their work. Their own social media posts about their work also count. You can type a plain address such as example.com and we will complete it for you.

Link 1*

What is it?

Link 2*

What is it?

Link 3*

What is it?

0 of 3 usable links

6 · Declaration and consent

All six are required. Our privacy notice explains how this information is used and how long it is kept.

The information I have provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge.*

I have told my nominee that I am nominating them.*

I consent to YALS contacting my nominee to verify this information.*

I understand that false or misleading information may lead to disqualification.*

I agree to this information being processed for the YALS 40 Under 40 programme.*

I understand my nominee decides whether to accept, and that nothing is assessed unless they complete their own application.*

Cancel