Announcing the Winners of the Universal Kindness Awards 2026

Join us in celebrating the winners of the 2026 Universal Kindness Awards, recognising individuals and organisations that embody compassion, generosity, and positive influence. These outstanding honourees have shown a steadfast dedication to improving the world, inspiring others through their actions, care, and commitment to lifting those around them.

Each awardee has made a meaningful impact in their own way—whether by promoting inclusivity, leading humanitarian initiatives, supporting communities, or simply spreading kindness in everyday life. Their achievements remind us that even small gestures of goodwill can spark significant change and hope.

On this page, you’ll find:

1. Kindness in Innovation Award
   1. First Batch
   2. Second Batch
2. Animal Welfare Protection Award
3. Corporate Compassion Award
4. Lifetime Achievement in Kindness
5. Community Champion Award
6. Global Goodness Award
7. Kindness in Action Award
8. Interfaith Harmony Award
9. Nonprofit Impact Award
10. Random Act of Kindness Award
11. Mental Wellness Advocate Award
12. Arts for Kindness Award
13. Philanthropic Leadership Award
14. Kindness Journalism, Media, and Marketing Award
15. Empowerment Through Sports Award
16. Technology for Good Award
17. Intergenerational Kindness Award
18. Difference Maker
    1. First Batch
    2. Second Batch
19. How to Download
20. Proper Use
21. Restrictions on Use

Kindness in Innovation Award

Honours those who harness innovation, technology, or entrepreneurial thinking to advance compassion, inclusion, and positive social impact.

First Batch

• Janet Miller – For creating a mobile clinic for elderly diabetes patients, reducing hospital readmissions by 40% while empowering seniors to manage their health. Her innovation demonstrates empathy-driven, patient-centered care.
• Maria Rodriguez – For helping over 50 families avoid foreclosure during the pandemic with personalized financial guidance, combining professional expertise with compassion to create long-term stability.
• Sarah Chen (Non-Profit & Language Education) – For leading pro-bono PR campaigns that significantly increased donor reach, mentoring junior staff, and developing “confidence-first” learning programs for struggling students, showing kindness through education and empowerment.
• Tom Martinez – For volunteering home repairs for low-income seniors, providing safety and stability, demonstrating small, consistent acts of service in professional work.
• Blake Mycoskie (TOMS Shoes) – For pioneering the “One for One” model, embedding social impact into a profitable business, inspiring a generation of social entrepreneurs.
• Dr. Sarah Chen (Therapy Dogs for Autism) – For creating a gentle, child-centered program connecting therapy dogs with children on the autism spectrum, fostering emotional growth and social connection.
• Maria Santos – For transforming the visa application process to be compassionate and accessible, personally guiding families through bureaucratic obstacles with empathy and cultural sensitivity.
• Aunty Mei – For bridging generations through traditional art, mentoring teenagers to combine heritage with contemporary creativity, fostering cultural continuity and opportunity.
• Mariana Delgado – For transforming business relationships through personalized care, building trust with clients and team members by actively listening, problem-solving, and prioritizing human connection.
• Graham Goodhart – For using research and action to scale kindness, including AI-powered platforms, behavioral studies, and programs like Playing for Hope, combining science, creativity, and philanthropy to make a measurable social impact.

Second Batch

• Microsoft (Adaptive Controllers) – For designing accessible products that enable universal participation in gaming and digital experiences.
• Octopus Energy – For creating green energy technology that is easy to use and encourages sustainable adoption.
• Kiva – For providing simple, open-access financial tools that allow global users to support entrepreneurs.
• Khan Academy – For delivering free, high-quality education at scale, making learning accessible to millions worldwide.
• Open-Source SaaS (various implementations) – For empowering small nonprofits with free, accessible software tools.
• Adobe Creative Residency – For supporting underrepresented storytellers with access to tools and opportunities.
• Warby Parker – For making stylish eyewear affordable and accessible to a wider population.
• Too Good To Go – For enabling sustainable food recovery while benefiting both consumers and small businesses.
• BuildHealth International – For partnering locally to build medical facilities in underserved areas with a community-first approach.
• Duolingo – For making language learning playful and accessible to anyone with a smartphone.
• PlayAbly – For designing inclusive and engaging online shopping experiences for all users.
• Benetech – For using AI to convert books and materials into accessible formats for people with disabilities.

Animal Welfare Protection Award

Recognises dedication to safeguarding animals and advocating for their wellbeing through compassionate action and protection efforts.

• RSPCA – For upgrading animal shelters with greener infrastructure, saving costs while improving animal comfort and welfare.
• Jane Goodall / Jane Goodall Institute – For expanding chimpanzee sanctuaries in Africa and promoting conservation through local partnerships.
• Comprehensive Pet Therapy (Mark Spivak, Founder) – For increasing local shelter adoptions and advocating for animal welfare through hands-on programs.

Corporate Compassion Award

Celebrates organisations that embed ethics, responsibility, and kindness into how they treat employees, customers, and the wider community.

• Gravity Payments (Dan Price, CEO) – For raising all employee base salaries to $70,000, sacrificing his own salary to ensure financial stability, long-term retention, and increased productivity. A bold move demonstrating deep employee care rather than PR.
• Enterprise Community Partners – For creating rent-stable apartments for low-income families, offering long-term housing solutions and stability rather than short-term fixes.
• Union Square Hospitality Group – For paying living wages and providing benefits across all staff, demonstrating that ethical treatment of employees leads to better service, retention, and trust.
• Patagonia (multiple initiatives) – Recognized for a comprehensive commitment to employees, customers, and the planet through:
  • Worn Wear Program – Encouraging repairs over new purchases, promoting sustainable consumption.
  • Fair Trade Program – Providing factory workers with fair pay and healthcare.
  • Ownership Transfer to Trust – Legally dedicating profits to climate action, ensuring perpetual mission-driven governance.
  • Black Friday Donations – Giving all sales to environmental groups, turning a consumer holiday into meaningful action.
  • Ironclad Guarantee and Repair Support – Operationalizing core values to support customers sustainably.
    Collectively, these initiatives show Patagonia embedding values into operations, not just marketing.
• Pearson – For global literacy and educator support programs, demonstrating follow-through on ethical commitments in education.
• Ben & Jerry’s – For offering employee counseling, paid volunteering time, and supply-chain transparency, creating measurable social impact aligned with stated company values.

Lifetime Achievement in Kindness

Acknowledges individuals whose lifelong commitment to empathy and altruism has created enduring, meaningful change.

• Fred Rogers – American television host and educator, best known for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
• Jane Goodall – British primatologist and anthropologist, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots.
• Mother Teresa – Catholic nun and missionary, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
• Warren Buffett – American investor and philanthropist, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
• Malala Yousafzai – Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Community Champion Award

Honours those making a tangible difference at the local level through service, generosity, and community-led initiatives.

• Mermaid Way (Julia Pukhalskaia, CEO) – For sparking a community movement through consistent, gentle environmental action with the Mermaid Way bodysuit beach cleanups.
• Mission Prep Healthcare (Aja Chavez, Executive Director) – For saving lives by implementing a peer crisis hotline that provides immediate support to students in need.
• Lluis Law (Ramiro Lluis, Managing Attorney) – For serving immigrant families through free bilingual legal clinics, improving access to justice.
• Comprehensive Pet Therapy (Mark Spivak, Founder) – For helping children overcome shyness and emotional barriers using therapy dogs.
• Zinfandel Grille (Allen Kou, Owner) – For supporting local families through charity dinners in partnership with community nonprofits.
• Interactive Counselling (Amy Mosset, CEO) – For creating peer support groups that help teenagers feel understood and reduce isolation.
• The Spanish Council of Singapore (Carmen Jordan Fernandez, Academic Director) – For empowering teachers through tech workshops, improving classroom learning outcomes.
• Franchise KI (Bennett Maxwell, CEO) – For local hiring practices that enable employees to grow into independent business owners.
• Crushing REI / Lakeshore Home Buyer (Ryan Dosenberry, CEO) – For building better neighborhoods through honest home buying practices.
• Tutorbase (Sandro Kratz, Founder) – For empowering underserved families with multilingual literacy campaigns.
• Housing Families First / Xponent21 (Will Melton, CEO) – For organizing volunteer supply drives that provide essential support to emergency shelters.

Global Goodness Award

Recognises efforts that create positive change across borders, addressing global challenges and fostering international understanding.

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – For providing neutral, legally backed access in conflict zones, delivering food, medical care, and sanitation reliably. Their hands-on, structural neutrality ensures dignity and safety in chaotic environments, making abstract humanitarian principles actionable.
• Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) – For consistently showing up in crisis zones, providing medical care, mental health support, and rapid response. Their focus on action over discussion demonstrates that tangible presence creates trust, connection, and cross-cultural understanding.
• Gates Foundation – For advancing financial inclusion and global opportunity through digital tools, enabling cross-border access to essential services and empowering underserved communities.
• UNESCO – For preserving languages and cultural heritage, creating global-to-local learning projects that connect diverse communities and foster understanding across generations.
• British Council – For promoting teacher exchanges and practical cross-cultural collaboration, helping educators bring new perspectives to students and breaking down misunderstandings through direct engagement.

Kindness in Action Award

Celebrates remarkable acts of courage and compassion demonstrated during challenging circumstances, inspiring others through action.

• Avraham Plastic Surgery (Dr. Tomer Avraham) – For empowering a trauma patient to mentor new patients in the waiting room, turning personal resilience into a source of support for others.
• Zinfandel Grille (Allen Kou) – For feeding hospital workers and donating groceries during the pandemic, demonstrating how small business leadership can hold a community together in crisis.
• Dirty Dough (Bennett Maxwell’s example) – For managerial support to an employee during personal hardship, showing that attentive, human-centered leadership creates meaningful workplace impact.
• Jacksonville Maids (Justin Carpenter) – For paying tuition for a struggling employee, enabling educational advancement and long-term personal growth.
• Baby Steps Ministry (Peter Kim) – For housing homeless families permanently, turning temporary aid into life-changing stability and dignity.
• Dr. Edith Eger – Holocaust survivor and psychologist whose life demonstrates transformative compassion, helping trauma survivors heal through attentive care and personal example.

Interfaith Harmony Award

Honours initiatives that build respect, cooperation, and understanding between people of different faiths and beliefs.

• Parliament of the World’s Religions – For fostering interfaith understanding through dialogue and hands-on collaboration, prioritizing shared values like compassion and service while creating global and local projects that build trust and empathy.
• Pope Francis – For leading by example in interfaith dialogue, demonstrating humility, presence, and repeated engagement with diverse faiths to promote cooperation, peace, and social solidarity worldwide.
• Interfaith Youth Core (Eboo Patel) – For uniting young people of different religions through shared service, turning dialogue into practical collaboration and demonstrating that faith diversity can strengthen community.
• The Interfaith Alliance – For creating sustained, human-centered engagement across faith communities through collaborative projects, youth programs, and crisis-response initiatives that prioritize trust and empathy over ideology.
• United Religions Initiative (URI) – For connecting local faith communities through “Cooperation Circles” that focus on shared service first, enabling practical interfaith collaboration on real-world problems like hunger, education, and peacebuilding.
• Hospital Chaplaincy Programs (Cross-Faith Chaplaincy Teams) – For quietly fostering unity and trust among diverse patients and families through consistent, practical, and empathetic care in hospitals, showing that service-based interfaith collaboration can create lasting community bonds.

Nonprofit Impact Award

Recognises nonprofit organisations delivering exceptional outcomes in advancing compassion, equity, and social justice.

• World Central Kitchen – For providing rapid, dignified food relief in disaster areas, restoring hope and maintaining the humanity of recipients.
• Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) – For addressing systemic inequality through legal representation, education, and memorial projects, combining advocacy with measurable impact.
• Charity: Water – For transforming lives through access to clean drinking water, improving health, education, and empowerment, while maintaining transparency.
• Loveland Foundation – For providing Black women and girls with therapeutic support and healing services, integrating self-care with social justice.
• Habitat for Humanity – For advancing structural economic empowerment by enabling affordable homeownership through hands-on commitment, ensuring long-term stability.
• Feeding America – For consistently delivering meals and restoring dignity to vulnerable communities through practical, large-scale food distribution.
• The Trevor Project – For saving lives of LGBTQ+ youth through crisis support, digital tools, training, and proactive community engagement.
• Global Good Foundation – For combining compassion with measurable, long-term impact across education, mental health, and rapid-response relief programs.

Random Act of Kindness Award

Celebrates spontaneous, heartfelt acts that uplift others and spark a ripple effect of positivity.

• Next Step House Buyers (Chris Lowe) – For preventing foreclosure through quick, practical interventions, showing that timely support can stabilize families in crisis.
• NOLA Buys Houses (Carl Fanaro) – For arranging rapid home sales and assisting with moves for families in urgent need, demonstrating the power of direct, hands-on help.
• Rowlen Boiler Services (Lara Woodham) – For free boiler safety checks for vulnerable residents, preventing harm and providing peace of mind, a quiet yet tangible act of community care.
• PlayAbly (John Cheng) – For making gamification templates open-source, enabling small brands and startups to innovate and thrive, showing how sharing resources sparks broader change.
• Mission Prep Healthcare (Aja Chavez) – For launching a free teen mental health hotline, giving at-risk youth immediate access to support and reducing isolation.
• Zinfandel Grille (Allen Kou) – For feeding struggling industry workers without fanfare, exemplifying compassion through direct, timely assistance.
• Magic Hour (Runbo Li) – For providing scholarships, mentorship, and software access to low-income filmmakers, enabling them to achieve international recognition.
• French Teachers Association of Hong Kong (David Cornado) – For offering free online business classes to developing countries, empowering students to start companies and create visible change.
• Tutorbase (Sandro Kratz) – For individual tutors providing free support, inspiring a culture of service through simple, direct acts.
• Patagonia (Julia Pukhalskaia) – For unpublicized pandemic support to small businesses and ethical operational decisions, demonstrating impactful action without seeking attention.
• Baby Steps Ministry (Peter Kim) – For assisting struggling families with housing and practical help, illustrating how small acts can grow into sustainable community programs.
• German Cultural Association of Hong Kong (Yoan Amselem) – For free language classes for immigrant children, fostering integration and independence through small, targeted interventions.
• Xponent21 (Will Melton) – For quickly securing housing and essentials for families displaced by fire, showing the power of rapid, thoughtful action.
• Search Party (Brandon Brown) – For sponsoring youth sports leagues and strengthening communities through low-profile, high-impact support.
• CLDY.com (Alvin Poh) – For employees stepping up to support overwhelmed colleagues, transforming office culture through simple acts of care.
• Patagonia (Hans Graubard) – For halting unethical supply chains and maintaining transparency, combining ethics with practical action to protect people and the environment.
• Crushing REI (Ryan Dosenberry) – For free real estate classes, building confidence and practical skills for youth in the community.
• Kitching & Co. Dirtworx (Brian Tetreault) – For trade training programs that help people earn their first paycheck, enabling economic empowerment through hands-on skill-building.
• Bennett Awards (Graham Bennett) – For small gestures like custom trophies to recognize food bank staff, showing how simple acts of acknowledgment can boost morale and community spirit.

Mental Wellness Advocate Award

Recognises champions of mental health who promote awareness, provide support, and challenge stigma.

• Prince Harry – For increasing public awareness of mental health in the UK, normalizing conversations around mental wellbeing among military personnel, men, and older working professionals.
• Selena Gomez / Rare Beauty & Rare Impact Fund – For openly sharing her mental health experiences, creating safe spaces, and supporting others through initiatives in the beauty industry.
• Mental Health Professionals (field-wide recognition) – For daily work reducing stigma, providing compassionate care, and helping patients navigate invisible illnesses.
• Michael Phelps – For demonstrating that achievement and mental health struggles coexist, reducing stigma by publicly sharing his personal experiences with depression.

Arts for Kindness Award

Honours creatives and cultural organisations using artistic expression to inspire empathy, connection, and social change.

• Banksy – For using street art to spark social engagement and prompt students and communities to question social issues.
• JR (Inside Out Project) – For making everyday people visible through large-scale portraits, transforming public spaces into platforms for personal stories and dialogue.
• GRIN – For connecting creators with charities at scale, encouraging real-world action through storytelling.
• Marina Abramovic – For creating authentic human connection through her performances, fostering empathy and emotional awareness in public spaces.

Philanthropic Leadership Award

Recognises visionary leadership in giving, marked by strategic generosity and meaningful community investment.

• Jose Andres – For scaling World Central Kitchen into a tactical, highly organized emergency relief operation, delivering meals to communities efficiently and at massive scale.
• Baby Steps Ministry (Peter Kim, Owner) – For transforming charity into collective action by engaging local volunteers and businesses to maximize community impact.
• John Paul DeJoria – For using corporate infrastructure to deliver social services quickly and efficiently, including mobile health clinics and resources for homeless communities.
• The Spanish Council of Singapore (Carmen Jordan Fernandez, Academic Director) – For adapting programs to local needs and helping refugee children build confidence and integrate into schools.
• Mission Prep Healthcare (Aja Chavez, Executive Director) – For improving teen mental health engagement through grounded, community-focused partnerships.
• German Cultural Association of Hong Kong (Yoan Amselem, Managing Director) – For expanding education access through local business partnerships and scholarship programs.
• Tutorbase (Sandro Kratz, Founder) – For automating administrative tasks for teachers, increasing student engagement and allowing more focus on learning.
• Melinda French Gates – For establishing systems of change for women, health, and education initiatives that combine funding with active listening and structured implementation.
• Rihanna – For philanthropic work that unites communities, creates cultural impact, and delivers tangible social change.

Kindness Journalism, Media, and Marketing Award

Honours storytelling and media initiatives that amplify compassion, kindness, and constructive social narratives.

• Humans of New York (Brandon Stanton) – For mastering empathy through storytelling, creating raw emotional connections, and spreading understanding of everyday human experiences.
• Love Has No Labels Campaign – For connecting people quietly and effectively through relatable stories, fostering inclusion and empathy.
• The Dodo – For changing perceptions of animals and owners through authentic storytelling, reducing stereotypes and promoting compassion.
• StoryCorps – For sharing real conversations that help people feel less alone and encourage reflection on kindness and human connection.
• Washington Post (Pandemic Series) – For capturing personal, quiet moments during COVID-19 that build empathy without commentary or statistics.
• New York Times (“Overlooked” Series) – For honoring forgotten lives through obituaries, helping students and readers connect with diverse experiences.

Empowerment Through Sports Award

Recognises the use of sport as a tool to build confidence, resilience, teamwork, and community empowerment.

• Comprehensive Pet Therapy (Mark Spivak, Founder) – For building confidence and connection through dog sports programs, helping underserved communities and participants achieve more than they thought possible.
• Aquatots (Alena Sarri, Owner Operator) – For fostering safety, inclusion, and empowerment through swimming lessons for all ages, strengthening community skills and confidence.
• Magic Hour (Runbo Li, CEO) – For providing tools that give high school athletes recognition and opportunities, helping overlooked students showcase their abilities.
• Special Olympics – For breaking barriers and fostering inclusion through sports with rigorous training, measurable standards, and public competition.
• Skate Like a Girl – For creating a supportive and empowering environment for girls, trans, and non-binary youth to develop self-assurance through skateboarding.

Technology for Good Award

Celebrates the purposeful use of technology to solve social problems and improve lives.

• Oura (Oura Ring) – A Finnish health technology company that produces the Oura Ring, a biometric wearable for sleep, readiness, and activity tracking.
• yourLumira – An AI-based journaling and mental health support tool developed by SalesMVP Lab Inc.
• Zipline – A medical drone delivery company operating in multiple countries, notably Rwanda and Ghana, to distribute blood, vaccines, and medical supplies.
• Finofo – A financial automation and payments platform focused on simplifying accounts payable for businesses.
• UrbanPro – An Indian online marketplace that connects tutors with students and enables independent teaching businesses.
• Mozilla – A nonprofit organization best known for Firefox, focused on open-source software, internet privacy, and digital rights.
• Babylon Health – A digital healthcare company providing AI-driven symptom checking and virtual medical consultations.
• Khan Academy – A nonprofit educational organization offering free online courses, lessons, and practice exercises worldwide.
• Be My Eyes – An accessibility platform that connects blind and visually impaired users with sighted volunteers and AI-powered assistance.

Intergenerational Kindness Award

Honours efforts that unite generations, fostering mutual respect, learning, and shared understanding.

• Jane Goodall – For uniting people of all ages through kindness and her ability to connect across generations.
• Keanu Reeves – For earning universal respect across generations through genuine decency and humility.
• Magic Hour (Runbo Li, CEO) – For using interview podcasts to bridge generational divides and foster understanding.
• The Spanish Council of Singapore (Carmen Jordan Fernandez, Academic Director) – For dissolving age barriers through shared learning in an intergenerational film club.
• Mermaid Way (Julia Pukhalskaia, CEO) – For demonstrating intergenerational connection and promoting understanding across age groups.
• Jacksonville Maids (Justin Carpenter, Founder) – For fostering mutual respect across generations through skill swaps.

Difference Maker

Recognises powerful books that drive real-world change through ideas, storytelling, and courageous thinking.

First Batch

• Tsvika Abramovitch – For The Art of Managing Humans: Management Practices that Actually Work, showing how thoughtful management fosters collaboration and humane workplace culture.
• Angel A – For Holy Parrot, promoting empathy, creativity, and awareness through storytelling.
• Alis Cerrahyan – For The Sound of an Ordinary Life, highlighting resilience, human connection, and the impact of everyday choices.
• Sneha Sabu – For Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben, providing practical guidance for children to navigate challenges safely.
• Karen Olson – For Meant for More, inspiring purpose-driven action and encouraging readers to realize their potential.

Second Batch

• Simone de Beauvoir – For empowering women through The Second Sex, inspiring freedom, personal storytelling, and feminist design philosophy.
• Jonah Berger – For Contagious, which provided actionable insights into social influence and engagement.
• Kim Scott – For Radical Candor, which transformed team communication and encouraged constructive truth-telling.
• Harper Lee – For To Kill a Mockingbird, teaching courage, moral responsibility, and empathy.
• Rutger Bregman – For Humankind, inspiring cooperative and people-centered approaches in healthcare solutions.
• Rebecca Skloot – For The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, sparking ethics debates and deeper understanding of fairness.
• Tara Westover – For Educated, demonstrating the transformative power of education and access.
• James Clear – For Atomic Habits, showing how small, consistent changes create measurable improvements.
• Ruda Iande – For Laughing in the Face of Chaos, providing practical guidance for resilience and community-scale social change.
• Maria Montessori – For Absorbent Mind, shaping modern education by emphasizing children’s natural drive to learn.
• Elizabeth Gilbert – For Big Magic, inspiring entrepreneurial courage and creative risk-taking.
• Bryan Stevenson – For Just Mercy, demonstrating empathy in law and humanizing legal practice.

Celebrating Universal Kindness

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and express our deepest gratitude for their invaluable contributions. May their work continue to inspire kindness and compassion across the globe.

For more details, visit the main page of the Universal Kindness Awards.

Thank You to Our Supporters

A heartfelt thank you to all our supporters. Even if we don’t yet have financial backing, we are truly grateful for the many other ways you help us champion kindness. Your encouragement and participation make a world of difference. And remember, it’s never too late to support kindness—nominations and opportunities to get involved are open all year round! We appreciate every effort to spread compassion.

Click here to know our supporters.

Award Winner’s Badge

The Universal Kindness Awards Badge is a mark of distinction for individuals and organisations recognised for their outstanding kindness and positive impact. Recipients can proudly display this badge to showcase their commitment to making a difference.

How to Download

The badge is available for direct download on this same page. Simply click the download button to access the high-resolution file for digital and print use.

Proper Use

✅ Display the badge on websites, social media profiles, email signatures, and marketing materials to highlight your achievement.
✅ Use the badge in presentations, newsletters, and promotional content related to your kindness initiatives.

Restrictions on Use

❌ Do not alter, modify, or distort the badge in any way.
❌ Do not use the badge to misrepresent or falsely claim an award.
❌ Do not use the badge for commercial endorsements unrelated to the Universal Kindness Awards.

For any questions about badge usage, please let us know via our Contact Form.