Seven Hello child journalists nominated for International Children's Peace Prize
Seven child journalists from hello.bdnews24.com -- the world’s first Bangla news site dedicated to child journalism -- have been nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize 2026.
The nominees are Kashfiya Jannat Kuhu, 16, Aranya Abeer Khan Prapya, 16, Farabi Jabin Shairy, 17, Joya Banik, 17, Sudipto Debnath, 17, Mushfiq Ur Rahman, 17, and Jamiul Hasan Araf, 17.
Some 298 candidates worldwide have been shortlisted for this year's award, often dubbed the "the Nobel Prize for children”.
Among them, 42 nominees are from Bangladesh, including the seven child journalists from Hello.
Established in 2005 by the Netherlands-based KidsRights organisation, the annual award honours a young person whose work has significantly advanced children’s rights.
Farabi Jabin Shairy, who joined Hello in 2022, was inspired to act during the pandemic when child marriage rates surged in Bangladesh.
Originally from Sherpur and currently studying in Dhaka, she launched a community initiative to raise awareness against early marriage.
"Working as a child journalist taught me a great deal and instilled a strong sense of social responsibility," Sayeri said. "Hello gave me the motivation to drive change."
Jamiul Hasan Araf, based in Sylhet, said: "Reporting on the ground brought me face-to-face with the struggles children encounter daily.
“That experience solidified my commitment to advocating for youth rights."
In 2020, Sadat Rahman became the first Bangladeshi recipient of the award for his work combating cyberbullying.
Sadat, a former Hello journalist who now runs the youth initiative Mun Alert, extended his best wishes to the nominees: "Whether they win or not, the critical thing is to keep moving forward and never stop."
The International Children's Peace Prize was launched during the 2005 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome.
The award is presented by a Nobel Peace Prize winner each year.
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