The honorees represent a broad front against systemic power imbalances. Pakistani human rights lawyer Jalila Haider, the first female attorney from her Hazara community, is recognized for her legal defense of political activists and her role in forcing military negotiations to end targeted violence. Meanwhile, AI researcher Timnit Gebru, who founded the Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute after her departure from Google, continues to challenge the concentrated control of technology by exposing the inherent risks of large language models.
In section Newsroom
2026 Right Livelihood Laureates Defy Autocracy and Big Tech
Two women and two women-led organizations have been named 2026 Right Livelihood Award recipients for their efforts to dismantle systems of exclusion. According to committee executive director Ole von Uexkull, these laureates are actively rewriting rules previously dictated by patriarchs, autocrats, and the most powerful figures in Silicon Valley.
In South Africa, the Rural Women’s Assembly has mobilized 78,000 small-scale farmers to protect land and seed sovereignty against corporate agribusiness, building vital resilience against climate shocks. Simultaneously, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) remains a pillar of the nation's democratization efforts. Despite operating under the pressure of Georgia’s restrictive "foreign agents" law, the group continues to secure landmark legal victories for marginalized citizens and educational equity. The laureates will be honored during an award ceremony in Stockholm on December 1.
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