2022 YouthX Award winners announced and celebrated at the annual YouthX Summit
On Saturday, 3 December 2022, four young changemakers walked away with awards and life-changing prizes as Nedbank hosted its successful YouthX Summit, wrapping up the 2022 YouthX campaign in style. Hosted by presenter and actor Moshe Ndiki, the event took place at Victoria Yards, Johannesburg, and celebrated candidates who entered their work on the Unlocked.Me platform as part of this year’s YouthX Awards. The 2022 winners each walked away with over R300 000 worth of prizes including R50 000 cash, a Huawei technology bundle, as well as a mentorship, learning or networking opportunity, courtesy of Nedbank.
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.
From 12 finalists, four winners were chosen in each of the YouthX categories:
- Kiara Maharaj (Arts and Culture)
- Ziyanda Dludla (Social Good and Sustainability)
- Yanga Ngcayisa (Sport and Entertainment)
- Lesego Finger (Tech and Innovation)
Each winner was handed over their award on stage by the 2022 YouthX Changemakers:
- Trevor Stuurman, Thatiso Dube, Mmiso Luphondo and Tarryn Alberts (Arts and Culture).
- Keitumetse Qhali, Thabo Moloi, Julia Stuart and Chantel Struwig (Sport and Entertainment).
- Dr Cherise Dunn, Baratang Miya, Ulrico Grech-Cumbo and Keitumetse Pule (Tech and Innovation).
- Candice Chirwa, Dr Gwen Tonyane, Catherine Constantinides and Sonia Tona (Social Good and Sustainability).
Ziyanda Dludla was named Changemaker of the Year after receiving the highest score from the judges.
Elated after receiving the Social Good and Sustainability award and 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 discussion throughout the campaign. There aren’t many opportunities for the youth to truly follow their dreams or express themselves and that is why when I heard about YouthX and the awards, I knew that this was my opportunity to share my business ideas, with hopes to win and get my business to the next level. I am looking forward to my next chapter and encourage other young people to make use of this movement, you really have nothing to lose.’
Candidates were tasked with being innovative and creative and come up with ideas that could work in the real world and uplift their communities. Entries were judged with 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, whom we have partnered with 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.’
As part of the event, guests also enjoyed performances from entertaining artists, a sip-and-paint session in the courtyard, gaming activities from Goliath Gaming and YouthX cocktails created by one of the Arts and Culture YouthX Changemakers, Mmisology.
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