Joy Bangla Youth Award to be held on Saturday

With young trailblazers of the country waiting with bated breath, the much-awaited and biggest recognition for the super achievers – Joy Bangla Youth Award – is set to take place Saturday.

This year the call for applications for this prestigious award drew a massive response, as around 700 promising youth-led organisations are locked in a nerve-racking battle to lift up the trophy, according to an official press release.

Importantly, some key features that set the award, under Young Bangla, apart are inclusiveness and the length and breadth of the selection of categories that opened up a comprehensive window for the change-makers from even the remotest part of the country, the press release reads.

Following a rigorous screening process, a diversified and celebrated jury board, comprising of celebrated personalities, has been tasked to take the final call on the fate of the aspirants as this year 12 organisations will be recognised under six categories.

This year the categories are: Skill and Employment, Art and Culture, Community Wellness, Social Inclusion, Climate and Environment, Innovation and Communication.

Emerged as the most celebrated award for those setting up to transform lives, this award is named after the historic war cry "Joy Bangla", previous winners of the award have made their marks on global stage also, bringing in moments of pride and glory for the country, reads the press release.

The award ceremony will be telecasted live on different television channels between 2:20pm and 3:40pm on Saturday as award session.

Joy Bangla Youth Award has helped showcase silent but transformational initiatives – from educating street children in Dhaka to helping the poor and vulnerable tea worker communities in Sylhet.

Sajeeb Wazed, chairperson of Centre for Research and Information (CRI), will hand over the awards at the ceremony – to be attended by an esteemed jury panel and a stream of country's top young achievers, former and current awardees.

Since its inception in 2014, Young Bangla, the largest network of the country's youths, has become a beacon light that already provided with real and measurable gains for youth led organisations.

The goal of this platform, CRI's youth secretariat, is not just awarding or recognising the young changemakers but also helping them network, connect with policymakers, and receive proper grooming, according to the press release.

Bestowed with the recognition, a couple of past awardees later earned international recognition including the prestigious Diana Award and International Children's Peace Prize.