Future Ready Awards · 2026 edition
Honouring the women who are already shaping what comes next
Three categories. Two generations. One stage, on 25 September 2026.
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3
Categories - STEM, social impact, media
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2
Age groups - Rising Star and Mentor
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6
Laureates honoured at the gala
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30
Finalists, each invited to the Summit
About the Awards
The first edition, at the biggest conference in the world by young women
The Girls Future Ready Foundation is launching the Future Ready Awards at the GFR Summit on 25 September 2026, in EC1 Łódź, Poland. They exist to connect the present to the future by honouring girls and women whose work is already shaping what comes next - from breakthrough science to social change to new narratives in media. These are the women who do not wait for permission to lead.
Anyone can put someone forward, from anywhere, at no cost - or enter herself. The evening itself is the Summit’s own gala, and every finalist is there.
See the SummitThe categories
Three categories, two age groups
The future can be shaped through innovation, action and voice - so it is judged that way. Six laureates: one of each age group in each of the three.
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STEM Ready
Science, technology, engineering, mathematics, AI, biotech, climate and space.
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Social Impact Ready
Education, mental health, human rights, equality and vulnerable communities.
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Media Ready
Journalism, content, film, publishing, storytelling and cultural change.
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14–29
The Rising Star
Young women already making waves in their field.
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30+
The Mentor
Accomplished women reaching back to lift the next generation.
The timetable
From open to stage in ten weeks
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17 July
Applications open
Nominations and self-submissions open to anyone, anywhere.
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14 August
Submissions close
Nothing can be entered after this, so it is the date to work back from.
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1 September
Top 30 announced
The shortlist is published and every finalist is invited to the Summit.
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7 September
Jury decides
Eight jurors score what is left against the four criteria.
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25 September
Awards ceremony
Six laureates are named at the GFR Gala, on the Summit’s own stage.
Decision criteria
What the jury is actually scoring
Every nomination is read against the same four. Each is scored from 0 to 10, so 40 is the ceiling, and the final mark is the average across the jury.
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01
Scale
How far the work reaches. The breadth and size of what it touches.
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02
Credibility
The substance and rigour behind the achievement, beyond visibility.
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03
Future trajectory
Where the work is heading. Momentum, and what comes next.
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04
Impact
Effect on youth and women: measurable change for the community.
The jury
The people reading every nomination
Founders, diplomats and engineers, alongside the GFR team who built the programmes behind the award.
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Zofia Kierner Founder of Girls Future Ready -
Olga Leonowicz Entrepreneur and activist -
Mark Brzezinski President of Brzezinski Global Strategies; former US Ambassador to Poland -
Jade Bowler Education creator, founder of UnJaded Jade, host of the Future Ready Awards ceremony -
Oliwia Sagan Head of Programming, Girls Future Ready -
Anna Surdacka Global Head of Engineering AI and Ops at Roche -
Weronika Wojnarowska Head of Marketing, Girls Future Ready -
Zuzanna Rowińska Head of Community, Girls Future Ready
Before you nominate
The things people ask us
Who can be entered, who can enter them, how the six are chosen and what they receive.
Who can be nominated?
Any woman aged 14 or over, living anywhere in the world, in one of the three categories and one of the two age groups. She needs to be 14 by 25 September 2026, to have documented results in her field, to consent to her data being processed under §10 of the terms, to complete the form, and to be able to come to the GFR Summit in person on the day.
Who can nominate someone?
Anyone - whatever their gender, age or country. If you know a woman whose work deserves to be seen, you can put her forward, and it costs nothing to do so. You can also submit yourself.
When and where is the ceremony?
On 25 September 2026 at EC1 in Łódź, Poland, at the gala that closes the GFR Summit. Every finalist gets a free ticket to both the Summit and the gala.
Can one person be entered in more than one category?
No - one category and one age group per nomination. You can nominate as many different women as you like, across as many categories as you like; there is no limit on that.
How many awards are given?
Six. One Rising Star and one Mentor in each of the three categories, all named at the gala. Thirty finalists reach the shortlist before that.
Who picks the laureates, and on what?
An official jury reads every nomination and scores it on four criteria - scale, credibility, future trajectory and impact - from 0 to 10 each. The final score is the average across the jury, out of a maximum of 40.
What does a laureate receive?
The official Future Ready Awards statuette, a certificate of her achievement, and recognition across the Girls Future Ready channels.
What language is it in?
English - both the nominations and the gala.
Where are the full terms?
In the official terms and conditions for the Awards, linked below. Anything they do not answer, write to us and we will.