Johannesburg - With all 12 hopefuls vying to be YouthX Award winners, only four young changemakers were chosen as winners and received life-changing prizes at the YouthX Summit, hosted by Nedbank.
The young winners are Kiara Maharaj (arts and culture), Ziyanda Dludla (social good and sustainability), Yanga Ngcayisa (sport and entertainment), and Lesego Finger (tech and innovation).
Hosted by the popular presenter and actor Moshe Ndiki, the summit celebrated candidates who showcased their work on the Unlocked Me platform as part of this year’s YouthX awards.
The awards, which are part of the YouthX programme, were created to unlock potential and give South African youth between the ages of 18 and 26 the opportunity to win prizes and resources to fund their business ideas, existing businesses, or opportunities to further their careers.
Dludla was named the Changemaker of the Year after receiving the highest score from the judges, which spoke to her experience.
Elated after receiving the Social Good and Sustainability Award and the Changemaker of the Year Award, Dludla said, "I am thrilled to be part of the list of winners tonight and to be named Changemaker of the Year! I want to thank Nedbank for creating this movement and really giving young people the opportunity to shine. I’m also grateful to the 2022 Changemakers, who shared such priceless advice with us during their masterclasses and panel discussions throughout the campaign."
Candidates were tasked with being innovative and creative and coming up with ideas that could work in the real world and uplift their communities. Entries were judged based on a percentile weighting based on creativity (40%), innovation (40%), and community upliftment (20%).
Nedbank’s Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Khensani Nobanda, said, "Firstly, congratulations to all our winners tonight. The judges had a tough time, but in the end, candidates who entered the best work were chosen."
"With YouthX now in its second year, we have seen the positive change that this movement has made in the lives of last year’s winners, to help them kick-start and advance their entrepreneurial journeys. One of these winners is Keitumetse Pule, with whom we have partnered this year as one of our Tech and Innovation Changemakers. I would like to thank everyone involved in this project and say a special thank you to our 2022 Changemakers for taking on this journey with us and devoting themselves to this cause," said Nobanda.
The Star