Multimedia artist born in Luanda, Angola, Kia Henda, has been celebrated for his exploration of history, politics, war, and the impact of colonialism while also conveying hope for the future. His work delves into Angola’s intricate history while also addressing universal themes of marginalization, drawing connections to the struggles of migrants and refugees navigating displacement and identity, as well as Africans in the diaspora grappling with cultural fragmentation, systemic racism, and the enduring legacies of colonialism. Kia Henda is also known for having co-founded ”Fuckin’Globo,” an independent artist platform which, for almost a decade, featured emerging and established artists appropriating rooms of the former Hotel Globo in downtown Luanda. He co-founded KinoYetu, an association promoting hands-on learning in filmmaking and visual arts for emerging artists in Angola, fostering critical awareness of colonial heritage and supporting African artists. 

Learn more about his work 

Heba Y. Amin is a Berlin-based multi-media artist, researcher, and lecturer exploring the intersections of politics, technology, and architecture. Her work has been featured in major outlets like The New York Times and CNN and showcased at venues such as the Mosaic Rooms (London, 2020) and the 10th Berlin Biennale (2018). Professor of art at ABK-Stuttgart, co-founder of the Black Athena Collective and a Field of Vision fellow, she is renowned for subversive art interventions, including the globally recognized Homeland graffiti action. Amin was recently honored with the Sussmann Artist Award for her commitment to democracy and anti-fascism.

Kim Conniff Taber is the editorial director of the Art for Tomorrow, the Athens Democracy Forum, and the entity that organizes them, the Democracy & Culture Foundation. She is responsible for shaping the foundation’s overall editorial vision, as well as conceiving the program and identifying speakers for its events. A journalist and editorial consultant, Kim was previously the culture editor of the International New York Times, directing arts coverage from Paris.

Dimitris Daskalopoulos is the founder of DAMMA Holdings, a financial services and investment company, NEON, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing contemporary Greek culture closer to everyone, and diaNEOsis, a research and policy think tank. Daskalopoulos is also an entrepreneur and contemporary art collector. In 2022, he donated key works from his collection to four major museums:the EMST, the Tate, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago fostering new collaborations and synergies among these institutions.

Curator, author, educator, administrator, and public advocate for reimagining the role of art museums in society, Sandra Jackson-Dumont has served as Director and C.E.O. of the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art from January 2020 to March 2025. She has held leadership roles at the MET, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Seattle Art Museum, collaborating with artists, communities, and historical materials.

Renowned for iconic sculptures like Rabbit and Balloon Dog, Jeff Koons has exhibited globally since 1980. A recipient of numerous recognitions for his cultural achievements, he co-founded the Koons Family International Law and Policy Institute in collaboration with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), where he also serves as a board member.

Sebabatso C. Manoeli is Senior Director of Strategic Programmes for the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity at Columbia University, a leadership initiative addressing anti-Black racism in South Africa and the U.S. Author of Sudan’s “Southern Problem”, she has held roles at the DG Murray Trust, African Union Commission, and Brenthurst Foundation, among others. Formerly a Lecturer in African History at the University of Oxford, Sebabatso also taught at Stanford and the University of Fort Hare. A Rhodes Scholar with a DPhil from Oxford, her work spans politics, academia, and development.

Simon Njami is a Paris-based independent curator, lecturer, writer and art critic. Njami was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of “Revue Noire“ a journal of contemporary African and extra-occidental art. He has been artistic director of the Bamako Photography Biennale for ten years. He co-curated the first African pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007 and curated the first African Art Fair, held in Johannesburg in 2008. He has served for ten years (2000/2010) as a cultural advisor for the cultural branch of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (today Institut Français), in their cultural cooperation policy. He was a member of numerous art and photography juries and has curated numerous major exhibitions of contemporary art and photography, including Africa Remix (2004-2007) and The Divine Comedy (2014-15), and has been the artistic director of two editions of the Dak’Art Biennale (2016/2018).

Adama Sanneh is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Moleskine Foundation, where he has built a global network of changemakers using creativity to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. Focused on cultural transformation and social impact, the network empowers underserved communities to drive meaningful change. Adama advocates for creativity as a tool for building a more equitable and just future.

Are you a visionary changemaker using the arts and culture to tackle critical social issues? The Creativity for Social Change Award 2026 invites nominations for individuals and collectives whose creative work is inspiring a new generation of creative thinkers and doers. This prestigious award recognizes those who dare to use creativity as tool for lasting impact, spotlighting solutions to global challenges while raising awareness of critical social issues. 

The Creativity for Social Change Award aims to inspire creative action on global challenges, raise awareness of critical social issues, support and recognize impactful changemakers, build a network of like-minded individuals dedicated to social transformation, and influence public opinion and policy to foster lasting systemic change through the power of arts and culture.

For the 2026 Creativity for Social Change Award, the nomination period is from Monday November 10th, 2025, until Friday December 19th, 2025, at 5:00 PM CET.  
Nominees must be at least 18 years old at the time of nomination. 
Nominations must include the following: 

• Completed Submission Form
• A CV of the Nominee (2 pages max. PDF format, max 2mb)  
• A Portfolio or documentation of the Nominee’s work (PDF format, max 5mb).
• A short video testimony from the nominee (2 minutes max, can be shot on a smartphone) explaining their approach, impact, and vision for social change.

• A monetary prize of 10,000€  
• The opportunity to join the global platform of the Creativity Pioneers Fund, unlocking access to additional resources, learning, and gathering opportunities.
• The winner will be featured as a panelist at the next edition of the Art for Tomorrow conference, hosted by the Democracy & Culture Foundation in Doha, Qatar, from April 12 to 15, 2026. 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please review all requirements carefully before submitting.

If urgent technical issues arise, applicants should contact the organizers by email  for assistance at [email protected].

We will select one award recipient only.

Since this is an award, the winner is free to use the monetary prize at your discretion. The winner is also free to allocate the resources according to their priorities and needs. 

There is no specific formal request, but we would be glad if you mentioned the Creativity for Social Change Award and its Partners in your communications. Because we work to amplify the stories of creativity for social change, if you are selected, we will ask you to share visual materials and information that we can use to create dedicated communication content and storytelling activities.

Due to the number of applications received, we cannot provide individual feedback. Please note that if you were not selected, it does not mean that you did not deserve it. We encourage you to apply again next time.

The award-giving ceremony will occur on April 12—15 during the 2026 Art for Tomorrow conference in Doha, Qatar. 

Yes. Artists who were nominated in past editions may be re-nominated. We understand that artistic practices evolve over time, and we welcome nominations that reflect an artist’s ongoing development.
 

Nominations are open to individual artists as well as collectives or collaborative groups working in any discipline. The prize is not limited to emerging artists or to those who are already well-established — it is open to practitioners at any stage of their career.