Barron Prize Celebrates 20 Year Milestone of Honoring Young Heroes Who Are Changing the World
BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, an award that recognizes inspiring, public-spirited young people, marks its 20th anniversary and announces its 2020 winners. Over the past two decades, the Barron Prize has honored nearly 500 young heroes from across the U.S. and Canada. They have helped the hungry and the homeless, invented life-saving technologies, protected our oceans and endangered species, and addressed climate change, among myriad other initiatives. They have raised more than $24 million for their causes and have inspired countless people by their example.
Established by author T. A. Barron, the Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education.
T. A. Barron writes about fictional young heroes in his bestselling books and founded the Barron Prize as a way to champion real-life inspiring young people. He named the award after his mother, Gloria Barron, a quiet hero who loved children and created a hands-on nature museum at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Barron Prize honors her belief that every person – no matter their age or circumstance -- has the power to make the world a better place.
"Nothing is more uplifting than learning about heroic people who have truly made a difference," says T. A. Barron. "The goal of the Barron Prize is to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their example will encourage others to take action."
As in past years, the 2020 Barron Prize winners are making a difference across a wide range of current issues. They are protecting the environment, providing food for those in need, detecting and treating diseases, improving literacy, and more. The 2020 winners are:
Aniyah Ayres, age 14, of Pennsylvania, who created Aniyah's Mission to help Philadelphians in need and to show young people that their voices and actions matter.
Annie Zhu, age 17, of Texas, who co-founded Fresh Hub to reduce food waste and provide nutritious food to people living in Houston's food deserts. She also created Readiness Across Mathematics to support underserved youth in learning math.
Bill Tong, age 18, of Maryland, who founded the Bioma Project, an environmental education nonprofit that brings native fish aquariums into classrooms.
Chander Payne, age 17, of Maryland, founder of Urban Beet, which creates urban farms in order to provide fresh food to underserved people and help cool city neighborhoods.
Dana Perella, age 9, of Colorado, who started Cookies4Cures. She bakes and sells cookies and has raised more than $100,000 to fund research into rare pediatric diseases.
Isabella Paoletti-Tejeda, age 18, of California, who created Read a Story, Change a Life, a literacy intervention program that has helped more than 2,500 at-risk youth learn to read and write.
Isha Clarke, age 17, of California, co-founder of Youth vs. Apocalypse, a diverse group of young climate justice activists.
Kavi Dolasia, age 18, of California, co-founder of Reaching Out with Robotics, a
student-run program that works to increase technology literacy for underserved youth.
Kavi Gandhi, age 17, of Pennsylvania, who leads the Yash Gandhi Foundation and has raised more than $460,000 to help find a cure for I-Cell, a rare, genetic childhood disease.
Lillian Petersen, age 17, of New Mexico, who created an early warning system using satellite imagery to predict crop yields in every African country several months before the harvest.
Madhvi Chittoor, age 9, of Colorado, who founded Madhvi4EcoEthics to reduce plastic and Styrofoam pollution and inspire others to do the same.
Matine Khalighi, age 18, of Colorado, co-founder of Helping the Homeless Colorado, recently rebranded as EEqual, a national nonprofit that supports the education of students experiencing homelessness.
Sammie Vance, age 11, of Indiana, founder of Sammie's Buddy Bench Project, which recycles plastic caps into designated benches where schoolchildren can sit when looking for a friend.
Topher Jones, age 12, of Idaho, who created the Lonesome Larry Project and has raised nearly $11,000 to protect sockeye salmon and other threatened fish by selling custom-designed socks.
Viraj Mehta, age 17, of Arizona, who develops technologies and apps for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cancers.
"When I look at the accomplishments of these inspiring young heroes and the scope of what they have achieved both individually and collectively, I am filled with awe and appreciation," says T. A. Barron. "They work hard to make their ideals and passions a reality and are an example to us all. We are so proud of these young people who have made such a positive difference over the last 20 years and we look forward to honoring many more in the years ahead."
About the Barron Prize:
Established in 2001 by author T. A. Barron, the Barron Prize is a national award that annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education. These young people are as diverse as their service projects. They are female and male, urban and rural, and from a wide variety of backgrounds across the U.S. and Canada. All of them demonstrate heroic character qualities like courage, compassion, and perseverance. Through the years, the Barron Prize has earned the support of Girl Scouts of the USA, The Wilderness Society, Youth Service America, and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, among other organizations. To learn more about the Barron Prize, visit www.barronprize.org.
About T. A. Barron
T. A. Barron grew up in Colorado ranch country and traveled widely as a Rhodes Scholar. He is the winner of the de Grummond Medallion for "lifetime contribution to the field of children's and young adult literature." His highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling books include The Lost Years of Merlin (now being developed into a film), The Great Tree of Avalon (a New York Times bestseller), The Ancient One, and The Hero's Trail, which profiles heroic young people from diverse backgrounds and inspires young people to think of how they can make a positive difference in the world. He loves to write and hike in Colorado. For more information visit www.TABarron.com
SOURCE Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes
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