Basel Peace Office is pleased to announce the nine finalists for the 2026 Peace, nuclear Abolition and Climate Engaged Youth (PACEY) Award. They have been selected by the PACEY Award Jury from 75 youth projects nominated for the award from around the world. The three winning projects will be selected by vote at the PACEY Award Ceremony on January 23. They will each receive a prize of €5000 plus organizational support.
“We invite anyone interested in youth initiatives for a better world to join us for the PACEY Award ceremony, meet young leaders from the nine projects and vote to decide the three winners,” says Alyn Ware, Director of the Basel Peace Office.
In addition to the Basel Peace Office, the Award is cosponsored by Basel City Presidential Department and the Basel Evangelical Reformed Church, with cooperation in the Jury and Award Ceremony by representatives of Youth Fusion and Youth Present.
“Awards like the Pacey Award shine a light on what truly matters at this critical time: youth-led innovation in peacemaking” says Ayleen Roy, Core Team Member of Youth Fusion. “They uplift the leaders of tomorrow and remind us why we can remain hopeful.”
“Young people in Europe and around the world are standing up to demand policy progress on the climate crisis, nuclear abolition and ending war,” says Prof (em) Andreas Nidecker MD, founder of the PACEY Award. ‘They clearly see the threats to current and future generations and are taking action.”
“Peace and security are the indispensable foundation for sustainable development,” says Lukas Ott, Head of Cantonal and Urban Development, Presidential Department of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. “Only in a peaceful environment can sustainable solutions and innovation flourish. Youth-driven initiatives in peacebuilding, climate action and disarmament are crucial pillars for shaping a resilient and sustainable future”.
The PACEY Award will confer one prize for a project from countries in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and two prizes for projects based/focused beyond the OSCE.
Finalists for the OSCE Award:
Thirsty for Solutions (STSL) – Youth Advocacy for Water Access (Romania)
Thirsty for Solutions is a youth participation project designed to tackle a fundamental environmental and civic gap in Romania: the lack of free, accessible drinking water in public spaces. By advocating for public drinking fountains, the project aims to drastically reduce plastic waste from bottled water while ensuring that essential resources remain a public good. The project is youth-led and focuses strongly on engaging youth through education and advocacy training. An example of this is the Thirsty for Solutions Youth Ambassadors initiative.
Coventry Peace Ambassadors (UK)
Coventry Peace Ambassadors is a joint project of the Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation and 40 schools in Coventry to promote peace in three ways: create peace zones or gardens in the schools; develop peace projects in the community (examples include a Peace Trail and a Japanese Peace Garden), and develop friendship projects with young people in other countries including through the UNESCO schools network. The project includes an annual event in Coventry Cathedral celebrating the peace projects undertaken by participating school pupils.
VoxForensics (Ukraine)
VoxForensics is a project run by LingvaLexa to undertake in-depth work on crimes related to propaganda in the context of armed conflicts. This work contributes to peace by addressing one of the structural drivers of violence: hatred-based propaganda widely used by authoritarian regimes. The team supports investigations and provides legal assistance, training and research. This work helps ensure accountability for criminalised propaganda and contributes to its prevention.
Finalists for the Beyond OSCE Award
KivuGuard - Community-based early warning system for peace and the prevention of armed violence (DRC)
Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly the Goma region is plagued by recurring armed conflicts, looting, forced displacement, and inter-communal tensions. This situation is exacerbated by mistrust between communities, the isolation of victims, and the lack of means to engage with local institutions. KivuGuard offers an innovative and humanitarian solution, combining technology and citizen engagement to quickly detect security threats and connect with local response mechanisms, including neighbours, police and conflict resolution services.
EcoPeace Teen Café (India)
EcoPeace Teen Café is an online space for teenagers to discuss and have interactions with international experts on critical environmental, peace and sustainable development issues. In addition to running discussions with different groups on a range of issues, EcoPeace Café provides mentoring and environmental action tool-kits. The project uses the Earth Charter principles, an ethical framework for sustainable development, as a guiding tool for the dialogues and discussions, and in helping support youth action as a result.
No Hate Embassy (Mediterranean)
The No Hate Embassy was created to address the dangerous rise of hate speech, xenophobia, and polarized public debate across Europe and the Mediterranean. Hate speech is a strong trigger for hate crimes, and fosters religious and political extremism and terrorist attacks. Launched in 2024, this project brings together organizations from France, Italy, Romania, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia to protect democratic values and prevent the violence that often follows hateful rhetoric. The project has a strong focus on countering online hate speech, and in supporting young people to challenge these narratives and promote tolerance.
Promoting peace and security by reducing threats of biological weapons (India)
We live in an era of increasing biological threats that range from possible lab leaks and bioterrorism to global pandemics. This project, led by Dr. Suryesh Kumar Namdeo at the Indian Institute of Science, aims to build a replicable model for science-informed biosecurity governance in the Global South — directly contributing to global catastrophic biological risk reduction. A key aspect of the project is to develop a trained cohort of young biosecurity professionals capable of sustaining national dialogue and influencing governance frameworks.
Nomad Garden (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
The Nomad Garden is a concrete, youth-led response to one of the world’s most enduring and under-addressed intersections of conflict, climate injustice, and forced displacement: the Saharawi refugee camps linked to the unresolved situation of Western Sahara. For nearly 50 years, Saharawi refugees have lived in the Hamada desert of southwestern Algeria. Climate change has intensified already extreme conditions, including temperatures exceeding 50°C, chronic water scarcity, violent sandstorms, and increasing environmental instability. Nomad Garden shows how Saharawi youth have turned necessity into innovation, proving that climate adaptation, food sovereignty, and peace-oriented leadership are not only possible, but already taking shape.
Safiran-e-Sloh – Peace and Empowerment for Afghan Girls (Afghanistan/Pakistan)
After the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, schools and universities for girls were closed, women were denied the right to work, and Afghan girls and women were deprived of their basic rights. Safiran-e-Solh (Youth Peace Ambassadors Group) is a youth-led initiative that supports Afghan refugee girls and women through education, personal development, and advocacy for equal rights. Originating in Afghanistan and now based in Pakistan, the project includes weekly meetings, literacy education, mentoring programs, and collaborative projects that empower Afghan girls and young women to become active change-makers in their communities.
PACEY Award Ceremony
The 2026 PACEY Award Ceremony, which is open to everyone to attend, takes place online on January 23 in conjunction with the 2026 Basel Inter-generational Dialogue on Peace, Disarmament and Climate Action and the Basel Peace Forum 2026. Finalists in each category will present their projects/proposals at the Awards Ceremony, after which participants will vote by secret ballot to determine the three winners.
“Young people bridge countries, continents and religions,” says Prof Lukas Kundert, Director of the Basel-Stadt Evangelical Reformed Church. “They frequently realise, much faster than older people, that only through trust, an open heart and cooperation is significant progress possible.”
“In current conflicting times, youth as active agents of change should come more forward with innovative solutions to restore peace and sustainable development,” concludes Ghurni Bhattacharya from Youth Present.