Asia Game Changer Awards

The Asia Game Changer Awards is an annual award ceremony held in recognition of individuals and organizations within and connected to the Asian community that have made positive contributions to the development and improvement of Asia and society.

Inaugurated in 2014 by New York-based non-profit organization the Asia Society, in partnership with Citibank, the first ceremony was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

[1] A total of thirteen honorees were awarded, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and internet entrepreneur Jack Ma, who was honoured as the first ever Game Changer of the Year.

[1] Nominees are selected from individuals and institutions nominated from the Asia Society's global network,[1] which then embarks on a three-month long process of feedback and voting that results in the final awardees.

[2] While recipients are usually from varying diverse backgrounds, the 2019 ceremony marked the first time that all awardees for the year were women only.

Close-up shot of a man wearing a black shirt, looking directly into the camera.
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was awarded for his work designing disaster relief shelters in Rwanda, Haiti, Japan etc. using recyclable materials.
Malala seated in a chair facing away from the camera wearing a red head covering that drapes over her shoulders.
Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was awarded for her worldwide advocacy work for girls education.
Pakistani cricketer Sana Mir was awarded in 2019 for her success in the traditionally male-dominated sport and for advocating for women's rights, both inside and outside of sports.
Group photo of BTS standing together wearing black suits with white shirts.
South Korean music group BTS was awarded at the 2020 ceremony for standing against discrimination and inspiring their global fanbase to do the same.
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka was also honored at the 2020 ceremony for using her global platform to bring attention to racial injustice and supporting social change.
Jack Ma wearing a navy blue suit and matching patterned tie with a white shirt while smiling.
Chinese entrepreneur, and co-founder of Alibaba , Jack Ma , was the first ever Asia Game Changer of the Year award recipient.
Indra Nooyi , Ceo of PepsiCo , was the first woman to be awarded the Asia Game Changer of the Year.