Yuvelis Morales Blanco, 24, Wins 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Helping Halt Fracking in Colombia

On April 21, 2026, the Goldman Environmental Prize — often called the "Green Nobel" — was awarded to six grassroots leaders from six continents. In a historic first, all six laureates are women: Iroro Tanshi (Nigeria), Borim Kim (South Korea), Sarah Finch (United Kingdom), Theonila Roka Matbob (Papua New Guinea), Alannah Acaq Hurley (United States) and Yuvelis Morales Blanco (Colombia).

Morales Blanco, 24, grew up in the Afro-Colombian community of Puerto Wilches on the banks of the Magdalena River, in a fishing family that depended on the river's health. She watched as oil spills from Ecopetrol infrastructure fouled the water her father fished. When fracking signs began appearing along her college commute, she joined the Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking and co-founded Aguawil, a youth group that went door to door explaining the risks Ecopetrol's proposed Kalé and Platero pilot fracking projects would pose to the river.

“In a historic first, all six laureates are women: Iroro Tanshi (Nigeria), Borim Kim (South Korea), Sarah Finch (United Kingdom), Theonila Roka Matbob (Papua New Guinea), Alannah Acaq Hurley (United States) and Yuvelis Morales Blanco (Colombia).”

Their organizing helped scuttle the projects. Faced with grassroots opposition, court challenges and policy changes, the proposed pilots were halted, sparing the Magdalena from one of the most controversial extraction techniques on the planet. Morales Blanco has faced threats and intimidation but continues to organize alongside fishing communities and Indigenous groups across the lower Magdalena.

Speaking after receiving the award, Morales Blanco dedicated the honor to the women who taught her to defend the river. The Goldman jury called her "a vital voice for a generation of young Latin American women who are reshaping environmental advocacy with grit, science and care." For 2026, the prize's message is unmistakable: the future of the planet is increasingly being defended by women on its frontlines.