Right Livelihood Award winners to be named on Wednesday

The winners of the 2026 Right Livelihood Award, often called the Alternative Nobel Prize, will be announced on Wednesday 30 September.

The laureates will be revealed at 6am Central European Summer Time, followed by a livestreamed press conference at 8am. In British time, that is 5am and 7am.

A large field

This year's jury considered 200 nominations from 72 countries. The new laureates will be honoured at an award presentation in Stockholm later in the year.

What the award is for

The Right Livelihood Award was founded in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, a Swedish-German philanthropist and former member of the European Parliament. He created it after the Nobel Foundation declined to introduce new prizes for work on the environment and international development.

The award honours people and organisations offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges of our time. Past laureates have included environmental campaigners, human rights defenders, peace builders and pioneers of sustainable farming and development, many of whom work in difficult or dangerous conditions.

How it differs from the Nobels

Unlike the Nobel Prizes, the Right Livelihood Award does not have fixed categories. Anyone can nominate a candidate, and the jury looks for people whose work has made a real difference on the ground and could inspire others.

The organisation behind the award also supports its laureates over the long term, including by drawing attention to those who face threats because of their work.

A busy fortnight for prizes

The announcement comes days before the Nobel Prizes, which begin on Monday 5 October with the prize in Physiology or Medicine and end on 12 October with the prize in Economic Sciences. Discover Brum will report the winners of both.