Two Nigerians, Smart Israel and Oghenekevwe William Emadago, have emerged among the winners of the 2026 Global Citizen Waislitz Awards for their innovative solutions to challenges linked to extreme poverty.
Israel, Founder and CEO of Smartel Agri Tech, won the 2026 Global Citizen Waislitz Grand Prize Award, while Emadago, Founder and COO of Girlified Ltd, received the Global Citizen Waislitz People’s Choice Award.
The awards were announced on August 18, 2026, by Global Citizen and the Waislitz Foundation in New York City and Melbourne, Australia.
Each of the three winners will receive $100,000, bringing the total prize money for the 2026 awards to $300,000.
The third winner, Diana Yousef, Founder and CEO of change Labs in the United States, received the Global Citizen Waislitz Disruptor Award.
