Politician of the Year Award

About the Award

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, only 2.9% of parliamentarians globally are under the age of 30, and only 19.2% of MPs are below 40. Young voices in politics are critically underrepresented, and this raises the substantial risk of disconnecting an entire generation from their nations’ political processes. 

One Young World believes that the next generation of young politicians are here to do more than create the next convenient solution - they are here to influence, transform policy, and drive progress in their local communities. 

The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 as the first global award recognising the work of young politicians under 35 and was launched to counter the low level of youth engagement in politics.

We are delighted to launch our annual Politician of the Year Award again for 2026. 

Applications and nominations for the 2026 Politician of the Year Award are now closed.