Past Awardees 2019 Hoor Al Qasimi For transforming the arts across the Middle East and beyond Yuriko Koike For breaking through Japan’s glass ceiling and empowering other women leaders Sana Mir For excelling at one of the world’s most popular sports and inspiring millions of girls — on and off the field Faiza Saeed For reaching the pinnacle of corporate law and blazing a path for others to follow Chhaya Sharma For solving India’s biggest crimes and building a better society Jane Jie Sun For showing that business success and gender equality can go hand-in-hand in China Kung Fu Nuns For empowering young girls and dismantling gender stereotypes — one kick at a time 2018 Indra Nooyi ASIA GAME CHANGER OF THE YEAR: Champion for women, champion for sustainability, champion for wellness, and transformative leader of an iconic global company The Afghan Girls Robotics Team For overcoming obstacles and heartbreak — and emerging as champions for girls all over the world Dr. Munjed Al Muderis For courage that led to his freedom — and then groundbreaking work to give patients new hope The Founders of Koolulam For spreading unity through song in one of the world’s most divided cities The Heroes of Fukushima For risking their lives to contain a nuclear disaster Mira Rai For defying steep odds, shattering records, and inspiring — and helping — millions of girls The Rescue Team at the Tham Luang Caves For showing that faith, teamwork, and indomitable courage can work miracles Raed Saleh and the Syrian White Helmets For game-changing, life-saving heroism — in the world’s most unforgiving and desperate places Wang Shi For championing the environment — from the cities of China to the farthest reaches of the planet 2017 His Highness the Aga Khan LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: For improving the lives of millions in Asia and around the world Sonita Alizadeh For using rap music to empower the girls of Afghanistan Jean Liu For revolutionizing transportation in China Aisholpan Nurgaiv For breaking gender barriers at a remarkably young age Leng Ouch For risking his life to expose an environmental calamity Dev Patel For using celebrity to place a spotlight on India’s poor Sesame Workshop For proving that learning can be fun — and have a profound impact — anywhere in the world Wu Tong For showing that musical virtuosity knows no bounds Tadashi Yanai For building a global retail empire that gives back to local communities 2016 Joey Alexander Special musical performance by the Indonesian jazz piano prodigy Muzoon Almellehan For bringing education and hope to young girls, amid the trauma of war Marita Cheng For engineering a better world, and ensuring that more of its engineers are women Soo-Man Lee For turning one nation's pop culture into a global phenomenon I.M. Pei LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: For changing the world, one building at a time Dr. Sanduk Ruit For bringing the gift of sight, and productive life, to those most in need Ahmad Sarmast For restoring music — and empowering children — in a war-ravaged nation Durreen Shahnaz For "social-impact" investing that has changed the game for millions Karim Wasfi For using music to heal, in the aftermath of terror Zhang Yimou For changing the landscape of film in China 2015 Manny Pacquiao ASIA GAME CHANGER OF THE YEAR: For using his sport, and his star power, as forces for good Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura For lighting our world in a groundbreaking and sustainable way Chanda Kochhar For breaking the glass ceiling, transforming an industry, and reaching the masses Lei Jun For changing the game of communication in China Li Cunxin For his art, his courage, and his cultural diplomacy Aasif Mandvi For using comedy to challenge perceptions, and work for good Mariam al-Mansouri For battling stereotypes, and terror, from the air Kiran Bir Sethi For empowering children to change the world 2014 Shigeru Ban For finding beauty, and hope, in the landscapes of disaster Madhav Chavan For bringing the gift of literacy to millions of Indians Illac Diaz For bringing light, literally, to so many lives Fashion Girls For Humanity For demonstrating that 'looking good' and 'doing good' can be one and the same Jack Ma ASIA GAME CHANGER OF THE YEAR: For history-making business and philanthropy in China Kuntoro Mangkusubroto For providing a brilliant blueprint for responding to disaster Saad Mohseni For bringing news, information and entertainment to a barren landscape Jacqueline Novogratz For changing the way the world tackles poverty Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy For eye-opening films that give voice to the voiceless Playing For Change For using the power of music to spread a global message of hope Pawan Sinha For a truly visionary approach to treating India’s blind Malala Yousafzai For continuing to dream, and fight for girls the world over, after living a nightmare Zhang Minxuan For leveling the playing field by providing quality education to millions in China
