Prajakta Koli becomes 1st Indian on UN award jury
What's the story
Prajakta Koli, the acclaimed actor and content creator, has been appointed to the High-Level Panel of Judges for the 2026 Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards. With this appointment, she has become the first Indian to join this prestigious panel. The global recognition program is organized by the UN SDG Action Campaign and hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Role and responsibilities
Koli to evaluate over 5,000 entries from 190 countries
Koli will be part of a panel that will evaluate over 5,000 entries submitted from 190 countries.
This year, she is the only Indian representative on the jury.
Her recent work includes Netflix's romantic-comedy series Mismatched and war drama Operation Safed Sagar.
Panel composition
Other notable jury members
The 2026 panel comprises a diverse group of judges, including UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J Mohammed, UNDP Administrator and former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Felipe Paullier.
Other notable members are Oxfam International Executive Director Amitabh Behar and Cannes Best Actress winner Merve Dizdar.
Award details
9 global finalists will be sent to Rome
Now in its ninth year, the UN SDG Action Awards recognize initiatives across three categories: the Changemaker Award, the Creativity Award, and the Resilience Award.
Nine global finalists will be sent to Rome for a coaching and capacity-building program before the awards ceremony on October 29.
The event will be streamed live worldwide via UN WebTV and Italy's national broadcaster RAI.
Advocacy efforts
Koli is also a youth and climate advocate
Apart from her entertainment career, Koli is also a youth and climate advocate.
She was featured on the inaugural TIME100 Creators list and is currently serving as UNDP India's Youth Climate Champion.
In this role, she has represented young people at global platforms such as COP28, the World Economic Forum in Davos, the United Nations General Assembly, and Climate Week NYC.