Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai, the educational campaigner from Swat Valley, Pakistan, came to public attention by writing for BBC Urdu about life under the Taliban. Using the pen name Gul Makai, she often spoke about her family’s fight for girls’ education in her community. In October 2012 Malala was targeted by the Taliban and shot while returning home from school. She survived and continues her campaign for education. In 2011, in recognition of her courage and advocacy, Malala was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. She is the youngest person ever to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and has received numerous other awards, including the International Children’s Peace Prize (2013), the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, and the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award. She graduated from Oxford University in 2020.