The YES belief
Leadership doesn’t begin with a title.
It begins with action.
Around the world, young people are already solving problems, building initiatives, supporting communities and creating change. YES Awards exists to find them, recognise them and amplify their work — not as the leaders of tomorrow, but as the changemakers of today.
Why YES Awards
More than an award. A movement.
YES Awards recognises the substance behind the service — commitment, leadership and evidence of lasting community benefit.
Awardee Spotlight
Meet the changemakers
Karam Singh Kandhari
Sevenoaks School, Kent, UK
Kent, United Kingdom
Saranya Gupta
Arcadia British School
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Training of 25-30 under privileged rural women for sustainable income
Hitarth Dangra
Saint Joseph Institution International
Singapore, Singapore
50 students in school and project is on-going
Aaradhya Dhanesh Kattoor
Crescent English High School, Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Yashvir Parmani
GEMS New Millennium School
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
5000 patients across 100 medical camps
ANISH JENA
GEMS Our Own English High School Boys, Sharjah - Boys
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Number of potential beneficiaries: 10,000+ people across communities located downstream of targeted river systems.
RUHANI ASUDANI
SOLARIS PUBLIC SCHOOL
AHMEDABAD, India
Reached around 54 children from underserved communities
Bhavya Jha
Aster School
Greater Noida, India
Expected Impact: Potential to improve case-processing efficiency, reduce avoidable procedural delays and contribute toward a projected 30% reduction in pending cases, subject to future validation and implementation.
Zunyi Lin
Indiana University Bloomington, Kelley School of Business
Bloomington, United States
Provided guided online digital-literacy training to approximately 1,140 underprivileged students in Bihar since March 2025.
Aryaveer Gaurav Agarwal
Cambridge International School
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Bodh has reached approximately 653 students and continues to provide regular learning opportunities beyond the standard school curriculum.
Esanika Chauhan
Charterhouse School England
Godalming, United Kingdom
Reached 2,200 students, women and girls
Zoha
Runnymede College
Madrid, Spain
3000 students and adults through 6 schools, women specific foundations and medical centres
Aarav Raney
Dubai College
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3,262 direct beneficiaries: 89 books, 3,145 video views and 28 trees. 300 indirect.
Nabaroon Das
JSS PRIVATE SCHOOL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
45 direct participants, ~20 additional educators reached, 100% programme completion, 80% assignment completion, 4 core sessions, ongoing Q&A community, external media coverage, and AIREP expanded into AIREC for broader community engagement.
Arjun Manoj Jethwani
Nord Anglia International School Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2000 students benefited
Aadyaa Vijay
Master Mind Global English Sr.Secondary School
Pune, India
Developed an AI prototype with 97.4% accuracy by simplifying 887 clinical variables into 38 self-reportable features; engaged 75+ women and a gynecologist through panel discussions and reached 60+ teenagers through menopause-awareness sessions.
Zidaan Samir Thakran
Kings School Al Barsha
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Reached 1566
Mehak Dhawan
Jumeirah College
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Impacted 15,000 women across 4 Indian States
Zoya Kashif Rana
Jebel Ali School
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Siyona Munjal
Marlborough College
London, United Kingdom
2000 students across 15+ schools
The Decision Journey
How every nomination is decided
A transparent, evidence-led process — from submission to celebration.
See all nine stages
- Stage 01 · Day 0
Nomination Submitted
A teacher, mentor or professional who knows the student submits a guided nomination with evidence of sustained service.
The nominator receives an instant confirmation with a reference number. Drafts auto-save, so the form can be completed across multiple sessions.
- Stage 02 · 1–3 days
Administrative Review
The YES Awards admin team verifies that every required field, document and referee detail is complete.
Incomplete nominations are returned to the nominator with clear guidance. Only complete submissions progress to eligibility checking.
- Stage 03 · 3–5 days
Eligibility Confirmation
Each nomination is checked against the published criteria — age, student status, minimum service duration and nominator relationship.
Nominations that do not meet the criteria are notified with an explanation. Eligible nominations move to jury assignment.
- Stage 04 · 1 week
Independent Jury Assignment
Each eligible nomination is assigned to multiple independent jury members. Conflicts of interest are declared before any evaluation begins.
Jury members are professionals with relevant expertise. They cannot evaluate a nomination from their own school, family or organisation.
- Stage 05 · 2–3 weeks
Scored Evaluation
Each juror independently scores the nomination against the published scorecard — impact, leadership, evidence, innovation and sustainability.
Jurors submit structured scores, written comments and a recommendation. They can flag evidence concerns for admin review at any point.
- Stage 06 · 1 week
Shortlisting
Scores from all jurors are compiled. The highest-scoring nominations are shortlisted for panel deliberation.
Shortlisted candidates are not notified at this stage. The shortlist remains confidential until final selections are confirmed.
- Stage 07 · 1–2 days
Panel Deliberation
The full jury panel reviews the shortlist together, discussing borderline cases and confirming that evidence is credible and consistent.
The panel can request additional information from the nominator or referee before making a final decision.
- Stage 08 · Panel day
Final Selection
The panel confirms award recipients and reserve candidates for each category. Decisions are final and signed off by the jury chair.
All selected awardees and reserves are recorded. Unsuccessful nominees are not published — only winners are celebrated publicly.
- Stage 09 · Ceremony
Notification & Celebration
Successful nominees are notified confidentially, then celebrated at the annual YES Awards ceremony in Dubai.
Each awardee receives a certificate, a public profile and joins the YES Awards alumni community. The journey continues beyond the stage.
Eligibility
Who the awards are for.
A few clear principles. Full criteria are published and reviewed before each cycle.
6th YES Awards 2026
Moments from the 2026 ceremony
Dignitaries, awardees and communities gathered in Dubai to celebrate the 6th Youth Empowerment & Service Awards on International Literacy Day.
Awardees with their certificates of excellence
Dignitaries and guests on stage
Certificate felicitation on stage
Award presentation with KCS Foundation
News & press room
Latest from the YES Awards
YES Awards 2026 — Yahoo News coverage
See all Yahoo News coverage of the YES Awards 2026 celebration in Dubai.
Read full storyKCS Foundation Celebrates International Literacy Day in Dubai: 27 Outstanding Students Honoured at YES AWARDS 2026
KCS Foundation celebrated International Literacy Day in Dubai by hosting the YES Awards 2026, honouring 27 outstanding students for their sustained community impact.
Read full storyKCS Foundation Celebrates International Literacy Day in Dubai: 27 Outstanding Students Honoured at YES AWARDS 2026
KCS Foundation celebrated International Literacy Day in Dubai by hosting the YES Awards 2026, honouring 27 outstanding students for their sustained community impact.
Read full storyTake part
Three ways to take part
For schools
Bring YES to your students
Nominate changemakers and join a global network of partner schools.
Learn moreFor partners & sponsors
Help young changemakers be seen
Support access, expertise, outreach or the award experience.
Learn moreFor mentors & jurors
Lend your expertise
Contribute relevant experience through a reviewed application.
Learn more