The Elevate Prize Foundation, in partnership with MIT Solve, has announced the recipients of the second annual Elevate Prizes.

Launched in April 2020, the competition awards up to $5 million annually to help extraordinary purpose-driven leaders increase their impact and catalyze transformational change. The ten leaders in this year's cohort will each receive a minimum of $300,000 in prize funding, as well as leadership development services, social media training, mentorship, and other support needed to reach a wider audience and grow their following.

Selected from a pool of more than twelve hundred applicants, the recipients are focused on global causes including LGBTQIA+ rights, access to health care, social justice reform, and sustainability. They are Amanda Alexander, founder of the Detroit Justice Center, which works to transform the justice system and promote equitable and fair cities; Krista Donaldson, CEO of Equalize Health, which provides access to medical care and addresses maternal and newborn mortality through innovative tech; Aparna Hegde, founder of ARMMAN, which uses mobile technology to enable healthy pregnancies, safe deliveries, and healthy childhoods; Kaushik Kappangantulu, co-founder and CEO of Kheyti, which designs, adapts, and implements low-cost farming solutions; Nisha Ligon, co-founder and CEO of Ubongo, which harnesses the power of entertainment to reduce inequalities in education across Africa; Heejae Lim, founder and CEO of TalkingPoints, which connects and empowers families in underresourced, multilingual communities; Uzoma Orchingwa, founder of Ameelio, which works to address mass incarceration and provides incarcerated individuals with free-to-use communication apps; Alexander Roque, president and executive director of the Ali Forney Center, a space dedicated to empowering homeless LGBTQIA+ youth; Rebecca van Bergen, founder and executive director of Nest, which supports the artisan and maker economy to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion; and Tony Weaver, founder of Weird Enough Productions, which runs a national education program that combines diverse comic books with anti-racist and equity-based learning curricula.

"This year's Elevate Prize winners are an exceptional group of creative problem-solvers who have managed to catalyze change through such challenging times," said Elevate Prize Foundation founder Joseph Deitch. "In a world that is increasingly looking for leaders to lead…and to inspire us, we are so fortunate to have these incredible individuals and organizations show us the way. We look forward to partnering and co-creating with them to expand their impact, and to share their stories with the world."