The People of the Twin Cities, Hong Kong Political Prisoner and Free Speech Advocate Jimmy Lai Win the 2026 Kettering Democracy Prize

Each will receive $100,000 in recognition of extraordinary courage in defense of inclusive democracy worldwide

DAYTON, Ohio, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Charles F. Kettering Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2026 Kettering Democracy Prize: the people of the Twin Cities and Hong Kong political prisoner and free speech advocate Jimmy Lai. The prize honors individuals and groups whose extraordinary courage and commitment to inclusive democracy inspire others to exercise their own democratic power. The winners will each receive $100,000 and the Kettering Democracy Prize medal at an event in Washington, D.C., in November. The cash award for the people of the Twin Cities will be donated to the Minneapolis Foundation's OneMPLS Fund, which met urgent needs in the area during and after Operation Metro Surge.

The people of the Twin Cities will be honored for demonstrating the power of everyday people to organize, protect one another and demand accountability from their government. In late 2025, the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge brought 3,000 federal immigration officers and agents to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding communities as part of an anti-immigrant crackdown. In response, residents organized a broad, nonviolent movement of mutual aid and civic resistance, providing support to targeted and vulnerable neighbors while documenting the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and demanding their removal from their communities. Despite subzero temperatures, intimidation, violence, arrests, and the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the movement persisted and ultimately contributed to the withdrawal of the operation's most visible activities. The people of the Twin Cities offer a blueprint for other communities standing against injustice and are a shining example of local democratic action.

Jimmy Lai, 78, will be honored for his steadfast defense of freedom of speech, a free press and democracy in Hong Kong. After becoming an outspoken advocate for democratic freedom, he founded the newspaper Apple Daily, which became a pillar for press freedom in Hong Kong. Following the imposition of China's National Security Law in 2020, authorities raided Apple Daily's offices and arrested Lai, freezing the newspaper's assets and forcing it and other pro-democracy outlets to close. In February 2026, Lai was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison and remains a political prisoner today. International human rights organizations and political leaders continue to call for his release.

"This year's Kettering Democracy Prize recipients remind us that thriving democracies rely on both courageous individuals and communities," said Sharon L. Davies, president and CEO of the Kettering Foundation. "For years, Jimmy Lai has modeled for the world what it looks like to be a fearless defender of the right of free expression, at great personal cost. And the courageous actions of the people of the Twin Cities remind us that democracy depends on those who refuse to sit on the sidelines. The Kettering Foundation is proud to honor these awardees for their inspirational examples."

The winners of the 2025 Kettering Democracy Prize were the late Alexei Navalny, Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist and international symbol of courage, and Judith Browne Dianis, lawyer, civil rights activist and former executive director of the Advancement Project.

The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.

Contact
Melinda Gilmore
Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Director of Communications
Cell: 937.965.5297
[email protected]

SOURCE Charles F. Kettering Foundation