Three candidates shortlisted for the 2026 Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment

06/05/2026 Prizes

Women’s organisations from Kenya, Slovenia and Nepal make the shortlist, with a final winner announced next month

The selection panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women's Empowerment, which rewards outstanding initiatives to promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity in Europe and beyond, has today announced the shortlist for the third edition of the prize.

A joint initiative of the Icelandic Government and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Prize is named after former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman in the world to be elected as a head of state.

Meeting in Reykjavik, the panel – made up of six independent members with recognised standing in the field of women’s empowerment and chaired by PACE President Petra Bayr – decided to shortlist the following three nominees, in alphabetical order:

• The Girl Child Counselling Women Group (Kenya), which supports children, girls and young mothers affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty, shielding them from trafficking, sexual exploitation and unsafe relationships.
  
  
• My Voice, My Choice (Slovenia), which is a grassroots European movement that gathered over 1.2 million signatures for a citizen’s initiative on access to safe abortion, resulting in a landmark European Parliament resolution and a European Commission commitment to use EU funds for abortion services.
  
  
• Sasane – Samrakshak Samuha (Nepal), which is a survivor-led organisation that combats human trafficking, child marriage, sexual exploitation and gender-based violence by training survivors as paralegals and certified trekking guides, turning victims into frontline advocates who have handled over 1,500 legal cases and rescued more than 200 women and girls.

Announcing the panel’s choice, the PACE President paid tribute to the 300 candidacies received from around the world. “This year the panel underlined the particular importance of rewarding initiatives which support the empowerment of women, covering initiatives in gender equality and equal participation in and access to decision-making, as well as action to encourage inclusive policies and practice,” she said.

The overall winner of the 2026 Prize is due to be announced at an award ceremony on the opening day of PACE’s summer plenary session in Strasbourg, Monday 22 June 2026.

The prizewinner receives €60,000 and a diploma, and is awarded the Prize trophy, a sculpture made from volcanic magma from Iceland named “Kvika”.

The first Vigdís Prize was awarded in 2024 to the Irida Women’s Center in Greece, whilst the second was awarded in 2025 to Women of the Sun.

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