Moesha Allen from Jamaica has been announced as the 2026 Commonwealth Caribbean Regional Winner at the 2026 Commonwealth Youth Awards ceremony in London on 25 June.

Government representatives, high commissioners, youth leaders, and other stakeholders attended the award ceremony to celebrate young people’s contributions to sustainable development goals in communities across the Commonwealth. 

Driven by youth empowerment, peacebuilding and community cooperation, Moesha Allen founded Helping Youths Pursue Excellence (HYPE), an initiative that reaches more than 10,000 youths through mentorship and literacy programmes. She is a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, serving as Sub-Officer in Charge of the St Andrew South Community Safety and Security Unit. 

Selected from almost 1,000 applicants across the Commonwealth’s 56 member states after a two-stage adjudication process involving 57 judges, Moesha joins 19 finalists recognised for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals through innovation and community impact. 

In her remarks, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon Shirley Botchwey said, “My congratulations to you all finalists. You are already winners. To be selected from across 56 nations is a testament to your courage and your creativity. You embody the very best of our family. You have shown resilience in the face of challenge and innovation in the face of constraint.” 

She continued, “Today is not about recognition alone — it is about momentum. It is not about isolated excellence — it is about collective advancement. Together, we will continue to strengthen the Commonwealth Youth Programme as a flagship vehicle for youth development in the Commonwealth.” 

The Youth Awards support young changemakers aged 15–29 by scaling up their innovation. Since their inception, these awards have invested over £400,000 directly into grassroots youth-led enterprises. The investments have reached more than 12 million beneficiaries, generated over 4,250 jobs, and contributed to all 17 SDGs. Crucially, 40 per cent of the funding has supported women-led initiatives—reinforcing the Commonwealth’s mandate for gender equality and inclusive growth. 

It was a double victory for Shifra Ainomugisha, from Uganda. She was named the 2026 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year and received the top regional award for Africa, earning her a total prize of £5,000. 

Regional Winners 

It was also a significant victory for three other regional winners, each of whom will receive a total of £3,000. 

• Asia: Bushra Mahnoor from Pakistan received the Asia Regional Award for her work on promoting affordable sanitary hygiene for women and adolescents. 
• Europe and Canada: Justin Huang from Canada received the Europe and Canada Award for developing a youth-led ocean conservation initiative that uses AI and open-source satellite imagery to monitor marine plastics and water pollution in near real time. 
• Pacific: Aileen Zuhukepe from Papua New Guinea received the Pacific Regional Award for her work on improving early detection of breast cancer among rural women in Papua New Guinea. 

The ceremony was streamed live on YouTube and Facebook. Breaking new ground this year, the Commonwealth Association, a Commonwealth Accredited Organisation, sponsored the inaugural Patsy Robertson Award for Outstanding Communications Skills. The new category was created to honour the legacy of the late Patsy Robertson, a former Director of Communications at the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

Maria Maina from Kenya clinched the Patsy Robertson Award for her work in advancing gender equality through Social Justice Insights, a digital platform using research, advocacy and storytelling to educate young people on gender-based violence, femicide and women’s rights. 

Maria received a cash prize of £1,000, a certificate and a trophy while five other candidates were recognised as finalists. 

Each finalist in this category will also receive a complimentary membership in the Commonwealth Journalists Association, granting them access to a global network of journalists and a range of professional development opportunities. 

The finalists listed in alphabetical order and by region are: 

• Fawaz Adebisi (Nigeria) 
• Felicity Akwa (Nigeria) 
• Maddy Nicholl (United Kingdom) 
• Sawyedul Amin (Bangladesh) 
• Tina Afiqah (Brunei Darussalam) 

Congratulating the finalists, Max Gaylard, Chair of the Commonwealth Association, said, “We honour Patsy Robertson by rewarding young people and by highlighting the important work of communications professionals. We are proud to partner with the Commonwealth Secretariat to recognise these       outstanding communicators and to showcase the work of the next generation of leaders in this important area.” 

From over 970 submissions, 20 finalists were narrowed to five regional winners by a pan-Commonwealth adjudication panel. Each of the 20 finalists will receive a trophy, a certificate and £1,000 to support their work. 

The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work is an initiative of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, which has been supporting youth development work in member countries for over 50 years.