PJPA was created in 2020 with an inaugural endowment of US $3000 from the founders, Gatefield, a sub-saharan Africa based public strategy and media group.
[1] The inaugural edition of the award was received by investigative journalists, Kiki Mordi and Fisayo Soyombo in February 2020.
The award ceremony had a lineup of speakers including the country heads of the UN Women, Open Society Initiative for West Africa among others.
The UN took advantage of the event to advocate for the passage of the sexual harassment bill, while the first joint winner, Fisayo, announced the donation of his funds to a non-profit that champions criminal justice reforms.
During the event, a social justice advocate, Segun Awosanya, was presented with the 2019 People Champion award.