Asia Game Changer Awards


The Asia Game Changer Awards is an annual award ceremony held in recognition of individuals and organizations within and connected to the Asian community that have made positive contributions to the development and improvement of Asia and society.
Inaugurated in 2014 by New York-based non-profit organization the Asia Society, in partnership with Citibank, the first ceremony was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. A total of thirteen honorees were awarded, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and internet entrepreneur Jack Ma, who was honoured as the first ever Game Changer of the Year. Nominees are selected from individuals and institutions nominated from the Asia Society's global network, which then embarks on a three-month long process of feedback and voting that results in the final awardees. While recipients are usually from varying diverse backgrounds, the 2019 ceremony marked the first time that all awardees for the year were women only.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies were held online.

Ceremonies

Honorees

YearRecipientOccupationNationalityRef.
2014Shigeru BanArchitectJapan
2014Madhav ChavanSocial activist and entrepreneur
philanthropist
India
2014Illac DiazSocial entrepreneurPhilippines
2014Fashion Girls for HumanityNon-profit charity organizationUnited States
2014Kuntoro MangkusubrotoHead government ministerIndonesia
2014Saad MohseniEntrepreneur
CEO
Afghanistan
2014Jacqueline NovogratzBusinesswoman
CEO
United States
2014Sharmeen Obaid-ChinoyJournalist
filmmaker
activist
Pakistan
2014Playing for ChangeNon-profit global music projectUnited States
2014Pawan SinhaScientist
professor
United States
2014Malala YousafzaiActivistPakistan
2015Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji NakamuraPhysicist
engineer
inventor
Japan
2015Li CunxinArtistic director
philanthropist
China
2015Lei JunEntrepreneur
CEO
philanthropist
China
2015Chanda KochharICICI managing director and CEOIndia
2015Aasif MandviActor
comedian
writer
India
2015Mariam al-MansouriUAEAF Fighter PilotUnited Arab Emirates
2015Kiran Bir SethiDesigner
educator
India
2016Joey AlexanderPianistIndonesia
2016Muzoon AlmellehanActivistSyria
2016Marita ChengEntrepreneur
CEO
Australia
2016Soo-man LeeRecord producer and executiveSouth Korea
2016Dr. Sanduk RuitOphthalmologist
eye surgeon
Nepal
2016Ahmad SarmastEthnomusicologist
director
Afghanistan
2016Durreen ShahnazEntrepreneur
professor
speaker
Bangladesh
2016Karim WasfiConductor
cellist
Iraq
2016Zhang YimouFilm director and producerChina
2017Sonita AlizadehRapper
activist
Afghanistan
2017Jean LiuBusiness executiveChina
2017Aisholpan NurgaivEagle hunterMongolia
2017Leng OuchEnvironmental activistCambodia
2017Dev PatelActor
philanthropist
United Kingdom
2017Sesame WorkshopNon-profit organizationUnited States
2017Wu TongBusinessman
CEO
China
2017Tadashi YanaiBusinessman
CEO
Japan
2018The Afghan Girls Robotics TeamStudentsAfghanistan
2018Dr. Munjed Al MuderisDoctor
orthopedic surgeon
human rights activist and humanitarian
professor and lecturer
Iraq
2018The Founders of KoolulamSocial musical initiativeIsrael
2018The Heroes of FukushimaPlant workers
first responders
volunteers
Japan
2018Mira RaiSportswomanNepal
2018Raed Saleh and the Syrian White HelmetsVolunteer and civil defence organizationSyria
2018The Rescue Team at the Tham Luang CavesThailand
2018Wang ShiEntrepreneur
environmentalist
China
2019Hoor Al QasimiSAF director
curator
artist
United Arab Emirates
2019Yuriko KoikeGovernor of TokyoJapan
2019Kung Fu NunsSocial activist
humanitarian
Nepal
2019Sana MirSportswomanPakistan
2019Faiza SaeedAttorneyUnited States
2019Chhaya SharmaNHRC Deputy Inspector General
former Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police
India
2019Jane Jie SunBusinesswoman
CEO
China
2020BTSMusician
philanthropist
South Korea
2020Vikas KhannaChef
humanitarian
India
2020Miky LeeFilm producer
businesswoman
South Korea
2020Yo-Yo MaCellist
humanitarian
France
United States
2020Naomi OsakaSportswomanJapan
2020Joseph Tsai and Clara TsaiBusinessman
philanthropist
Taiwan
2021Rabbi Angela Warnick BuchdahlRabbiUnited States
2021Dr. Morris ChangBusinessmanTaiwan / United States
2021Dr. David HoDoctor
scientist
medical researcher
Taiwan / United States
2021Sal KhanEducatorUnited States
2021Sunisa LeeGymnastUnited States
2021Kim NgBaseball executive and general managerUnited States
2021Sundar PichaiCEOIndia / United States
2022Michael BloombergEntrepreneur
philanthropist
former Mayor of New York City
United States
2022Arunabha GhoshFounder-CEO of Council On Energy, Environment and Water India
2022Kathy Jetñil-KijinerPoet
climate change activist
Marshall Islands
2022Kristin KagetsuCo-founder-CEO of Saathi
social entrepreneur
India
2022Navina KhannaCo-founder of the HEAL Food AllianceUnited States
2022Ma JunEnvironmentalistChina
2022Nanette Medved-PoPhilanthropist
businesswoman
Philippines
2022Dr. Rajiv J. ShahPresident of the Rockefeller FoundationUnited States
2022Alok SharmaPolitician
President for COP26
United Kingdom
2022Janet YangFilm producer
President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
United States
2023Shabana Basij-RasikhEducator
co-founder of the School of Leadership Afghanistan
Afghanistan
2023Yayoi KusamaContemporary artistJapan
2023Josie NatoriFashion designer
entrepreneur
pianist
Philippines / United States
2023The Philadelphia OrchestraDiplomacy United States
2023Yao ChenActress
producer
philanthropist
China
2023Dr. Stephen RiadyPhilanthropist
businessman
Singapore
2023Jerry Yang and Akiko YamazakiCo-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc.
Philanthropist
patron of the arts
United States
Costa Rica / Japan
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