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    Members of the Right Livelihood Award Jury sitting and having a meeting.

    Selecting the Laureates

    Jury members during the 2022 Jury Meeting.

    Ole von Uexkull announcing the 2020 Laureates at a press conference at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern.
    Executive Director Ole von Uexkull announcing the 2020 Laureates at a press conference at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, credit: Stina Stjernkvist

    Our research process helps our Jury choose the most innovative change-makers from all walks of life.

    We receive nominations for the Right Livelihood Award from all regions in the world, covering a variety of topics. This allows us to acquire a sense of what people around the world perceive to be the most urgent problems – and crucially, who is working to solve them.

    Each year, we manage upwards of 100 nominations for the Award. During a thorough research process, which lasts roughly from March until August, we build a clear understanding of the nominees’ activities, achievements and reputation among relevant stakeholders. We collect this information by reaching out to independent experts for comment and conducting background research and literature reviews. In some cases, we visit nominees in person to observe their work on the ground. All information gathered during this process is kept fully confidential.

    Following our research, detailed reports are written and submitted to our Board and Jury. It is our Jury that ultimately decides on the year’s Laureates. Composed of Right Livelihood Board members, previous Laureates and their representatives, and independent experts, the Jury meets in late August to select the Laureates in a unanimous decision. Their decision is later announced at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Jury members

    2010 LaureAte

    Nnimmo Bassey

    about nnimmo

    Nnimmo Bassey is the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, an environmental and ecological think tank and advocacy organisation. He co-founded Environmental Rights Action (ERA) to address environmental human rights issues in Nigeria, serving as its Executive Director for two decades. Bassey is a poet and author using his work as tools for environmental justice campaigns. He serves on boards of national and international environmental networks.

    Bassey received the Right Livelihood Award in 2010.

    LEGACY HOLDER FOR 2012 LAUREATE GENE SHARP

    Jamila Raqib

    about jamila

    Jamila Raqib is the Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution and a Research Affiliate of the Center for International Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  She worked closely with Dr. Gene Sharp, the world’s foremost scholar on strategic nonviolent action. In 2009, she collaborated with Dr. Sharp to create a new curriculum titled Self-Liberation: A Guide to Strategic Planning for Action to End a Dictatorship or Other Oppression, which has been translated into Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Italian. She was a nominee for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

    LEGACY HOLDER FOR 2007 LAUREATE Christopher Weeramantry

    Neshan Gunasekera

    about Neshan

    Neshan Gunasekera has been part of the Right Livelihood network since his days working with late Laureate Judge Weeramantry. A Sri Lankan international lawyer and governance practitioner, he now leads the World Future Council in Hamburg, advancing peacebuilding, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development across continents. He has previously served as a Visiting Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden, and has advised institutions such as the United Nations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Earth Trusteeship Initiative.

    Right Livelihood Laureate Joan Carling on a balcony, looking at the camera.

    2024 Laureate

    Joan Carling

    about joan

    Joan Carling is a Filipino Indigenous activist who has defended the rights of Indigenous Peoples for more than 30 years.

    She co-founded Indigenous Peoples Rights International and previously served as Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. She has shaped policy at the UN and OECD, promoting Indigenous rights in climate and development.

    She received the Right Livelihood Award in 2024.

    SENIOR VISITING RESEARCHER AT THE HARVARD LAW SCHOOL’S HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM

    Victor Madrigal

    about Victor

    Victor Madrigal is a Lecturer on Law and Eleanor Roosevelt Senior Visiting Researcher at the Harvard Law School Human Rights Program, focusing on the rights of LGBTQ+ communities globally. He has previously served as the UN Independent Expert on Protection against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, monitoring international human rights law implementation, and engaging with governments, civil society, and international organisations. His research addresses structural discrimination, anti-gender movements and intersectional human rights violations. He has also held leadership roles with the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, contributed to the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, and litigated before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights.

    ENTREPRENEUR

    Antje von Dewitz

    about antje

    Antje von Dewitz is the CEO of the German outdoor brand VAUDE and has led the company to become a pioneer in sustainable business practices. She studied “Languages, Business and Cultural Studies” at the University of Passau and earned a doctorate from the University of Hohenheim. She actively advocates for environmental and social responsibility across global supply chains. Her social engagement also includes supporting the right of residence for refugees and migrants in long-term employment. Both within the outdoor industry and beyond, Dr. Antje von Dewitz is committed to advancing sustainability. She serves on the board of the German Association for Sustainable Business (BNW) and is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Albrecht von Dewitz Foundation for Responsible Mountain Sports. She is widely recognised for successfully aligning economic performance with environmental stewardship and strong social responsibility.

    ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

    Nkatha Murungi

    about Nkatha

    Nkatha Murungi is the Assistant Director of the Centre for Human Rights and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria, where she leads research and advocacy on human rights for marginalised populations. She holds an LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the University of Pretoria and a Doctorate in Law from the University of the Western Cape. Murungi has published extensively on the rights of children with disabilities, domestication of international human-rights law, and legal frameworks supporting vulnerable groups, combining scholarship with practical engagement to advance human rights across the continent.

    Director of Friends of Lake Turkana

    Ikal Angelei

    about Ikal

    Ikal Angelei is a Kenyan environmental activist. She co-founded and still directs Friends of Lake Turkana, a grassroots organisation that ensures social, economic and ecological justice in the Lake Turkana Basin. She received the 2012 Goldman Environmental Prize for organising and speaking out on behalf of Indigenous communities against the construction of the Gibe 3 Dam.

    RESEARCHER

    Sarine Karajerjian

    about sARINE

    Sarine Karajerjian is a Lebanese environmental researcher and policy professional whose work focuses on climate change, environmental governance, and sustainable urban development in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. She serves as the Program Director of the Environmental Politics programme at the Arab Reform Initiative and has led research and convened multi-stakeholder dialogue through her role at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut. Her work emphasises evidence-based policymaking and community engagement, bridging environmental data, public awareness, and government action to advance climate resilience in contexts marked by economic strain, political instability, and environmental vulnerability.

    Chair of the board

    Gunilla Hallonsten

    about Gunilla

    Gunilla Hallonsten serves as Dean at the Church of Sweden in Malmö. She has previously held several positions at the Church of Sweden, including Acting Executive Director, Acting International Director, Policy Director and Policy Advisor on HIV, Gender and Theology.

    Board member

    Joshua Castellino

    about Joshua

    Joshua Castellino is Executive Dean of the College of Arts, Law & Social Sciences at Brunel University of London. He previously served as Co-Executive Director of Minority Rights Group, where he brought extensive legal expertise in minority rights, access to justice and the interplay between security, development and human rights. He also served as Dean of the School of Law at Middlesex University, which he founded in 2012, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to building institutions that advance human rights education and practice.

    BOARD MEMBER

    Kajsa Övergaard

    about kajsa

    Kajsa Övergaard was a Right Livelihood staff member from 2008-2024 and has deep knowledge about Laureates and the history of the Award. Throughout her working life, within both academia and civil society, she has aimed for systemic and interdisciplinary approaches to peace, justice and sustainability. Today, she is also active on the local level with support to small cooperatives with a focus on sustainable, local food production.