What Is the Diana Award?
The Diana Award is the most prestigious youth humanitarian award in the world, established in 1999 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. It is awarded to young people aged 16–24 who demonstrate outstanding, sustained social action — the kind that creates real and lasting community change. It is not a competition. It is a recognition of authentic, verifiable impact over time.
Since 2020, Diana Award recipients have come from over 80 countries across six continents. The award carries enormous weight in university applications, scholarship interviews, and professional life.
Diana Award Eligibility — The Key Requirements (2025/26 Update)
- Age: 16–24 at time of nomination (nominees may be 25 when the award is received)
- Duration: Minimum 12 months of sustained, documented social action
- Thematic focus: Work must align with one of four UN Sustainable Development Goals — Quality Education, Reduced Inequality, Good Health & Wellbeing, or Climate Action
- Nomination: Must be nominated by a professional aged 18+ who knows you in a professional capacity and is not a relative (no self-nominations)
- Supporters: The nominator must provide contact details for two additional Supporters who can validate your work (also in a professional capacity)
- Evidence: The nominator must submit three pieces of supporting evidence — e.g. photos/videos, press coverage, reports, or testimonials (in English)
- Origin: Open to young people from any country in the world
Nominations open annually and are submitted through the Diana Award's official online portal. The 2026 round closed on 31 October 2025; future dates are announced on the official site.
The Four SDG Themes the Diana Award Evaluates
Since the 2025 update, nominated social action must align with one or more of four UN Sustainable Development Goals. KCS Foundation projects map directly onto each:
- Quality Education — our STEM labs, digital literacy programmes and coding classes empower rural students to reach their full potential.
- Reduced Inequality — our women's empowerment and girls' education work challenges gender and rural-urban discrimination.
- Good Health & Wellbeing — our menstrual hygiene (Her Hygiene) and community health initiatives support thriving communities.
- Climate Action — our environment-focused initiatives address local sustainability challenges.
What the Panel Looks For
Vision
Did you identify a real community problem and design a response? The Diana Award values students who think beyond themselves — who see a gap and act to close it. Your KCS Foundation project proposal — whether a STEM lab, digital literacy program or women's training centre — demonstrates exactly this kind of clear-eyed social vision.
Action
What did you actually do over the 12+ months? The Diana Award wants evidence of sustained, consistent effort — not a single event. Monthly reports, implementation milestones, coordinator updates, and field photos from a KCS Foundation partnership constitute powerful action evidence.
Impact
Who was helped? How many? What changed for them? Specific, quantified outcomes — "200 students gained access to computers for the first time" or "35 women gained vocational skills and 18 became self-employed" — are what nomination panels look for. KCS Foundation provides this data automatically.
How KCS Foundation Projects Qualify for the Diana Award
KCS Foundation is uniquely positioned to support Diana Award applications because of how we document our work — and because our initiatives align with the award's four SDG themes:
- Monthly field reports with dated updates, photos, and beneficiary counts
- Official Impact Certificate from a registered Indian NGO
- Signed nomination letter from KCS Foundation leadership (we can serve as your professional nominator)
- Two additional Supporters from our coordination team who can provide the required Supporter Statements validating your work
- Three pieces of evidence ready to submit — field reports, press coverage, photos and beneficiary data (all in English)
- Impact Summary Report with before-and-after outcomes at project completion
- Photographic and video evidence of your project in action on the ground
All of this documentation maps directly to what the Diana Award nomination form requires. We have designed our reporting structure with award applications specifically in mind.
Step-by-Step: How to Apply for the Diana Award
- Step 1: Begin your social action project — a KCS Foundation partnership is ideal. Ensure it runs for at least 12 months.
- Step 2: Keep records from day one — dates, activities, beneficiary numbers, and any challenges overcome.
- Step 3: Identify your nominator — a KCS Foundation leader, teacher, or community mentor who knows your work well.
- Step 4: Visit diana-award.org.uk and complete the online nomination form. Your nominator submits the nomination along with details of two Supporters and three pieces of supporting evidence.
- Step 5: The Diana Award panel reviews your nomination. Successful recipients are notified and publicly announced.
What Happens When You Win?
Diana Award recipients receive a unique medal (in the shape of Diana's personal seal), a certificate signed by the Diana Award charity, and are added to the global register of Diana Award holders. You gain access to a network of over 20,000 young changemakers worldwide, and your award is widely recognised by universities, employers, and scholarship programs across the UK, USA, Canada and beyond.
Diana Award vs Other Youth Awards
Many students ask how the Diana Award compares to the Diamond Challenge and YES Award. All three are complementary — a single KCS Foundation project can serve as evidence for all three simultaneously. See our Global Youth Awards guide for a detailed comparison.
Final Advice: Start Now
The Diana Award cannot be rushed. It requires 12+ months of genuine, documented work. The students who win it are those who started early, stayed consistent, and let their impact speak for itself. If you're a student in Year 10, 11 or early 12, now is the perfect time to start a KCS Foundation project and build toward a Diana Award nomination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum age for the Diana Award?
Nominees must be aged 16–24 at the time of nomination (they may be 25 when the award is received). The Diana Award is the charity's flagship social action award; the Anti-Bullying Ambassador programme has its own separate criteria.
Can I nominate myself for the Diana Award?
No. Self-nominations are not accepted. You must be nominated by someone who knows you professionally — a teacher, mentor, NGO partner or community leader aged 18 or over who is not related to you. The nominator must also provide contact details for two additional Supporters who can validate your work. KCS Foundation can serve as your professional nominator.
How long must my social action project run to qualify?
The Diana Award requires a minimum of 12 months of sustained social action. KCS Foundation projects are specifically designed to run 12–24 months, generating the documentation and evidence needed.
What kind of social action does the Diana Award recognise?
Since the 2025 update, nominated work must align with one of four Sustainable Development Goal themes: Quality Education, Reduced Inequality, Good Health & Wellbeing, or Climate Action. KCS Foundation's education, digital literacy, women's empowerment and STEM projects map directly onto these themes.
Does the Diana Award help with university admissions?
Significantly. The Diana Award is recognized by UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE and Imperial, and increasingly by US and Canadian universities. It adds exceptional credibility to UCAS personal statements and Common App essays.
Is a KCS Foundation project enough to win the Diana Award?
KCS Foundation projects provide all the documentation required: monthly impact reports, official certificates, photo evidence and a professional nominator. Students who have run sustained projects with measurable outcomes are strong candidates.