Goldman Environmental Prize Blog

Before winning the Prize, we had the opportunity to chat with Rodrigue Katembo, 2017 Prize winner from Africa. Putting his life on the line, Katembo went undercover to document and release information about bribery and corruption in the quest to drill for oil in Virunga National Park, resulting in public outrage that forced the company to withdraw…

The Goldman Prize mourns the loss of 2007 Goldman Prize winner Orri Vigfusson, who passed away on July 1, 2017 after a battle with lung cancer. Orri was nearly 75 years old. Ten years ago Orri was awarded the Goldman Prize for brokering huge international fishing rights buyouts with governments and corporations in the North Atlantic, effectively…

We’re sharing a few of our favorite shots from the 2017 Goldman Prize tour in San Francisco and Washington, DC. After flying in from all over the world, the Prize winners are on-the-go for nearly two weeks meeting with various NGOs, political officials, youth groups, media outlets, local supporters and more. Here’s a glimpse of what…

On Sunday, June 11, 2017 the film BERTA VIVE/BERTA LIVES, a Honduran documentary on the life and death of 2015 Goldman Prize winner Berta Cáceres will screen at the East Bay Community Space (507 55th St, Oakland, CA 94609) at 6pm. Stick around after the film for a Q&A with the film’s director Katia Lara. Tickets for…

The following is a statement from Susan R. Gelman, President of the Goldman Environmental Foundation: “Today marks a significant turning point for our country and our planet as the president formally announced his intent to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. We strongly condemn the president’s decision, as it is a direct threat to the…

The 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony was held on Monday, April 24 at the historic War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, followed by a reception at City Hall. At the standing-room only ceremony, nearly 3000 attendees celebrated the incredible accomplishments of the 2017 Goldman Prize winners: Uroš Macerl, Prafulla Samantara, mark! Lopez, Rodrigo Tot, Rodrigue Katembo, and Wendy Bowman. To learn more…

“Peru’s highest court has ruled in favor of 2016 Goldman Environmental Prizewinner Máxima Acuña. On Wednesday, May 3rd, the Supreme Court of Peru ruled that the case against Ms. Acuña was unfounded and absolved her of all charges. The Supreme Court’s decision comes after six long years of legal battles and reaffirms a previous ruling…

Myriah Cornwell, Program Officer for Islands and Island Nations looks back at her first encounter with Wendy Bowman, one of the latest recipients of the Prize at her home in the lush Hunter Valley region of Australia earlier this year. When I first pulled up to Wendy Bowman’s farm, it was a burning hot summer…

Congratulations to the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize winners! mark! Lopez, United States Prize winner for North America Born and raised in a family of community activists, mark! Lopez persuaded the state of California to provide comprehensive lead testing and cleanup of East Los Angeles homes contaminated by a battery smelter that had polluted the community…

For nearly 30 years, the annual Prize ceremony has been the crowning moment in which we have celebrated the achievement of grassroots environmental heroism. Including 2017, we will have awarded 181 activists from 86 countries. Below are some of our favorite memories from a legacy of commemorating leaders from across the globe: The first winners…