Congratulations to the 2026 Barron Prize Winners!
Each year, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes celebrates outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Since 2001, the Prize has honored 650 young heroes whose work has helped people and communities, protected the natural world, advanced new ideas, and inspired countless others to take action.
The 2026 Winners and Runners-Up continue that remarkable tradition by working tirelessly to address environmental challenges, improve the lives of others, advance medical research and technology, and bring people together. Their projects are as different as they are, but they all share something important: each of these young people saw a need and found a way to help.
I’m honored to announce the winners of the 2026 Barron Prize. I invite you to take a moment to read through this year’s list of marvelous, accomplished young people, to visit their project sites, and learn more about them!
Meet the 2026 Barron Prize Winners
Alexander D., age 17, of Pennsylvania, who invented IRIS, an affordable wearable AI navigation assistant for people who are blind or visually impaired, using real-time mapping, obstacle detection, and voice guidance to help users navigate with greater independence.
Ameya K., age 17, of New Hampshire, who invented HALO-Vox, a low-cost brain-computer interface designed to translate brain activity into speech for people who have lost the ability to speak, and made the technology openly available.
Apollin L., age 17, of British Columbia, who founded Food Recovery Alliance to rescue surplus produce from local farms and distribute it to people in need, mobilizing more than 140 young volunteers to recover nearly 9,000 pounds of food.
Caymus M., age 16, of California, who created Trash Turtles to fight plastic pollution through beach cleanups, recycling, environmental scholarships, and the #LeaveWith3 campaign, which encourages everyone to pick up three extra pieces of trash.
Emily H., age 17, of New York, who co-founded Veggie Nuggets, a climate activism group that empowers youth voices and strengthens environmental stewardship in her neighborhood and across New York City. Emily and her team organize park cleanups, create pollinator-friendly gardens, lead environmental workshops, and advocate for sustainable practices like composting and renewable energy.
Everett L., age 16, of California, who founded EverEverest to support foster children through educational opportunities, mentorship, and supplies, raising more than $2 million for foster youth and creating programs that help them pursue their dreams.
Isaac N., age 13, of Florida, who is restoring the coastal ecosystem around the historic Jupiter Lighthouse in Florida by rescuing mangroves, creating oyster gardens, restoring native clams, and developing technology to monitor the recovery of marine life.
Kaitlyn T., age 17, of Texas, who founded Rain Barrels for Runoff, creating upcycled rain barrels that have prevented 45,000 gallons of stormwater runoff, and developed a groundwater model that helped demonstrate the potential environmental impact of development near the Edwards Aquifer.
Katelyn L., age 17, of California, who founded WOW! That’s STEM to provide free, hands-on science programming for underserved students, growing from a few local workshops into an international nonprofit that has reached more than 11,500 students.
Lidia R., age 18, of Florida, who combined scientific research and public policy advocacy to advance childhood cancer research, contributing to legislation that provided $30 million in funding for new pediatric cancer treatments.
Lucas R., age 16, of Florida, who created LINKball: Kickball for ALL, an inclusive league where athletes with special needs and teen volunteers play side by side as teammates, building genuine connections through sports.
Natalie F., age 12, of Minnesota, who founded I Stand with Anne, distributing more than 100,000 bracelets across all 50 states and more than 50 countries to transform Holocaust remembrance into daily action against hate and for compassion.
Nathan T., age 17, of Texas, who founded Shared Skies Initiative to address environmental injustice through real-time air-quality mapping, education, air filters, masks, and youth advocacy in communities disproportionately affected by pollution.
Sophie K., age 18, of California, who founded The Clean & Green Initiative to help young people turn eco-anxiety into environmental action, while also creating Bipartisan Bridges to bring young people together for thoughtful, cross-partisan conversations about difficult issues.
Srihith C., age 16, of Washington, who created MConAI, a low-cost, multilingual AI system for early Alzheimer’s screening that analyzes speech to identify subtle cognitive changes, with the potential to make early detection more accessible around the world.
Congratulations to the 2026 Barron Prize winners! Their stories remind us that meaningful change doesn’t begin with waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect solution. It begins when someone cares enough to act.
Meet the 2026 Barron Prize Runners-Up
In addition to our outstanding winners, I am delighted to celebrate ten young leaders whose work demonstrates the same determination to serve others and create positive change. Their projects span environmental restoration, education, food access, community service, and scientific innovation.
Anakh S., age 17, of New Jersey, who founded Rice Kids to break the cycle of poverty by providing education, nutrition, health support, technology, and other resources to children and families in need.
Andrew M., age 16, of Oregon, who invented ADAPT, a low-cost drought forecasting system that uses physics-informed AI to predict drought risk weeks to months in advance and help small-scale farmers prepare.
Apollo W., age 17, of California, who founded Glean On Me, mobilizing more than 200 volunteers to harvest over 10,000 pounds of excess fruit from neighborhood trees and donate it to organizations serving people in need.
Daniel V., age 17, of California, who founded Stop the Sewage to bring attention to the Tijuana River sewage crisis, organizing students to advocate for cleaner water and helping build momentum for hundreds of millions of dollars in wastewater infrastructure and restoration funding.
David H., age 18, of California, who developed a bioremediation approach using genetically engineered marine bacteria to break down ocean microplastics, along with a theoretical system for safely applying the technology in marine environments.
Landon H., age 17, of New Jersey, who founded the Student Environmental Ambassador program, equipping more than 1,465 students in 88 schools across 11 countries with tools to lead environmental initiatives in their own communities.
Leo T., age 16, of New Jersey, who co-founded Re:Imagine Inc., transforming food waste into a low-cost natural herbicide while mobilizing more than 70 volunteers to restore native habitats and remove invasive species.
Luke V., age 16, of Washington, D.C., who created Bricks4DC to bring donated LEGO® bricks and engineering instruction to more than 1,000 children living in family housing shelters throughout Washington, D.C.
Nethanya F., age 17, of Michigan, who founded Plant It Forward, mobilizing young people to plant hundreds of trees, thousands of native plants, and millions of wildflower seeds while restoring habitats and engaging communities in environmental stewardship.
Sophia P., age 12, of New Jersey, who founded Sophia’s Book Stand, distributing more than 8,000 free, carefully selected books to children and teachers in underserved communities.
Together, the 2026 Barron Prize winners and runners-up remind us of something I have learned again and again over the years: young people do not need to wait until they are older to make a difference.
They can begin with whatever they have — an idea, a shovel, a handful of books, a scientific question, a musical gift, or simply the courage to speak up. And when they do, the effects can reach far beyond what they ever imagined.
I hope you’ll take some time to learn more about these young heroes, share their stories, and let their example spark an idea of your own.
Learn more about the 2026 Barron Prize winners and their projects at barronprize.org.
