100 Women (BBC)
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| 100 Women | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Years active | 11 in 2023 |
| Inaugurated | 22 October 2013 |
| Most recent | November 2023 |
| Website | 100 Women |
100 Women is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London[1] and Mexico.[2][3] Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's women season", lasting three weeks including broadcast, online reports, debates and journalism on the topic of women.[4] Women around the world are encouraged to participate via Twitter and comment on the list, as well as on the interviews and debates that follow release of the list.[5]
History[edit]
After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, then BBC Controller Liliane Landor,[6] BBC editor Fiona Crack[7] and other journalists, were inspired to create a series focusing on the issues and achievements of women in society today.[8] They felt that many of the issues women faced were not getting in-depth coverage, and in March 2013 a "flood of feedback from female listeners" was received by the BBC to the effect that the corporation should provide more "content from and about women."[9]
The BBC launched this series in 2013 to address the under-representation of women in the media.[8][10] Women to participate in the first programme were chosen by survey in 26 different language services.[9] Programming ran over the course of a month, culminating in a conference held on 25 October, in which 100 women from across the world discussed issues they shared. A wide range of topics were debated covering employment challenges, feminism, motherhood, and religion,[11] to examine both the cultural and social challenges women faced in living their lives.[12]
The series has since covered many topics, including education, healthcare, equal pay, genital mutilation, domestic violence, and sexual abuse[13] and seeks to provide women with a platform to discuss how to improve the world and eliminate sexism.[14] Women included on the list are from around the globe, and involved in diverse fields of endeavour.[15] Women who are already famous are included, as well as people who are less known.[16][17]
Laureates[edit]
2023[edit]
The 2023 list was released on 21 November and it included 21 women involved with climate change. The laureates included the Indian cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, Aitana Bonmatí, Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, Timnit Gebru, Trần Gấm and Huda Kattan. The list was subdivided into four categories: Culture & Education, Entertainment & Sport, Politics & Advocacy and Science, Health & Tech, with 28 of the laureates dubbed climate pioneers (shown as green rows below).[18]
Politics & Advocacy[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Maryam Al-Khawaja |  Bahrain (also a citizen of  Denmark) | Human rights campaigner, board member of Civicus and the International Service for Human Rights |
| Shamsa Araweelo |  Somalia (also a citizen of the  UK) | Anti-FGM campaigner | |
| Yasmina Benslimane |  Morocco | Founder of Politics4Her and gender equality campaigner | |
| Yael Braudo-Bahat |  Israel | Peace activist and co-director at Women Wage Peace | |
 | Alicia Cahuiya |  Ecuador | Indigenous rights activist |
.jpg) | Amal Clooney |  Lebanon (also a citizen of the UK) | Human rights lawyer |
 | Dehenna Davison | UK | Member of Parliament |
.jpg) | Christiana Figueres |  Costa Rica | Diplomat and climate policy negotiator with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
 | Bella Galhos |  East Timor | Political activist and LGBTQ+ rights advocate |
| Rina Gonoi[19] |  Japan | Former military officer and anti-sexual harassment activist | |
 | Sonia Guajajara |  Brazil | State minister for native peoples and indigenous rights campaigner |
| Renita Holmes |  USA | Housing rights campaigner | |
 | Nataša Kandić |  Serbia | Lawyer and human rights activist. Founder of the Humanitarian Law Center |
 | Rukshana Kapali |  Nepal | Housing rights campaigner and transgender human rights activist |
| Sofia Kosachyova |  Russia | Firefighter | |
 | Monica McWilliams | UK | Former politician and peace negotiator during the Good Friday Agreement talks. Co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition |
| Najla Mohamed-Lamin |  Western Sahara | Women's rights and climate activist in the Saharawi refugee camps | |
| Ulanda Mtamba |  Malawi | Campaigner against child marriage | |
| Tamar Museridze |  Georgia | Investigative journalist | |
| Neema Namadamu |  Democratic Republic of Congo | Disability rights campaigner | |
.jpg) | Michelle Obama | USA | Attorney, author and campaigner |
| Sepideh Rashnu[20] |  Iran | Writer and artist | |
| Bernadette Smith |  Canada | Advocate for families of missing indigenous women and girls. Co-founder of Drag the Red | |
| Iryna Stavchuk |  Ukraine | Climate policy adviser at the European Climate Foundation | |
 | Gloria Steinem | USA | Feminist leader and co-founder of Ms. magazine |
| Summia Tora |  Afghanistan | Refugee rights campaigner | |
| Xu Zaozao |  China | Egg freezing campaigner. Advocate for single women's reproductive rights and bodily autonomy |
Entertainment & Sport[edit]
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Culture & Education[edit]
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Science, Health & Tech[edit]
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2022[edit]
The list for 2022 was released on 6 December. Women included this year were Olena Zelenska of Ukraine, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, the singer Billie Eilish, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Selma Blair, Lina Abu Akleh, Alla Pugacheva, Elnaz Rekabi and Yulimar Rojas. The list was subdivided into four categories: Culture & Sport, Activism & Advocacy, Politics & Education and Health & Science.[24]
Politics & Education[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maeen Al-Obaidi |  Yemen | Lawyer and mediator | |
| Fatima Amiri | Afghanistan | Student | |
 | Nathalie Becquart |  France (also a citizen of the  Vatican City) | Nun in the Congregation of Xavières and first ever female Undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops. |
| Taisia Bekbulatova | Russia | Journalist. Founder of the independent media outlet Holod | |
| Kristina Berdynskykh | Ukraine | Journalist | |
| María Fernanda Castro Maya |  Mexico | Disability rights advocate | |
| Chanel[25] Contos |  Australia | Sexual consent activist | |
_Alejandra_Vaca,_Chamber_of_Senators_of_Bolivia.jpg) | Eva Copa |  Bolivia | Politician and mayor of El Alto of Aymara descent |
| Joy Ezeilo |  Nigeria | Law professor and former United Nations special rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons | |
| Ibijoke Faborode | Nigeria | Founder of ElectHER | |
 | Erika Hilton | Brazil | Politician and campaigner for black and LGBT rights. The first black trans woman ever elected to a seat in the National Congress of Brazil |
.jpg) | Park Ji-hyun |  South Korea | Political reformer |
| Zahra Joya | Afghanistan | Journalist and founder of Rukhshana Media | |
 | Ursula von der Leyen |  Germany | First ever female President of the European Commission |
 | Naomi Long | Northern Ireland (uses a UK passport) | Politician and former Lord Mayor of Belfast |
| Ayesha Malik |  Pakistan | First female judge on the Supreme Court of Pakistan | |
| Zara Mohammadi | Iran | Kurdish language educator | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Mia Mottley |  Barbados | First female Prime Minister of Barbados |
 | Sepideh Qoliyan | Iran | Political campaigner and workers’ rights advocate |
.png) | Roza Salih |  Iraq (active in  Scotland, UK) | Politician and member of activist group the Glasgow Girls |
 | Simone Tebet | Brazil | Member of the Brazilian Federal Senate |
| Kisanet Tedros |  Eritrea | Educational entrepreneur and Tigrinyan digital content creator | |
 | Cheng Yen |  Taiwan | Buddhist philanthropist, founder of the Tzu Chi humanitarian organisation |
 | Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe | Iran (also a citizen of the UK) | Charity worker |
 | Olena Zelenska | Ukraine | Incumbent First Lady, architect and screenwriter |
Culture & Sport[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dima Aktaa |  Syria | Refugee and parathlete | |
.png) | Zar Amir Ebrahimi | Iran | Actor and founder of Alambic Productions |
.jpg) | Selma Blair | USA | Actor and multiple sclerosis awareness campaigner |
_2022.jpg) | Ona Carbonell |  Spain | Olympic medal winning synchronised swimmer |
| Sarah Chan |  South Sudan | NBA scout and former professional basketball player. Advocate for education and sports | |
 | Priyanka Chopra |  India | Actor and producer. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, campaigning for children's rights and education for girls |
.jpg) | Billie Eilish | USA | Singer and songwriter |
_(cropped2).jpg) | Ons Jabeur |  Tunisia | Tennis player |
| Sneha Jawale | India | Social worker | |
.jpg) | Reema Juffali |  Saudi Arabia | Racing driver and founder of Theeba Motorsport |
| Kadri Keung |  Hong Kong | Fashion designer | |
| Mie Kyung (Miky) Lee | South Korea | Producer, architect of KCON music festival and vice-chair of CJ ENM | |
.jpg) | Laura McAllister |  Wales UK | Professor and former footballer. LGBTQ+ sports ambassador |
 | Milli |  Thailand | Rap artist |
 | Rita Moreno |  Puerto Rico USA | EGOT winning actor |
 | Salima Rhadia Mukansanga |  Rwanda | Football referee |
.jpg) | Alla Pugacheva | Russia | Musician |
 | Elnaz Rekabi | Iran | Climber, appeared at the Asian Championships without a hijab in violation of Iranian law and was arrested as her action was interpreted by the Iranian government as a silent protest against the law in the context of feminist protesters in Iran at the time |
_(cropped).jpg) | Yulimar Rojas |  Venezuela | Olympic medal winning triple jumper and LGBTQ+ rights advocate |
| Sally Scales | Australia | Pitjantjatjaran artist | |
 | Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah |  Ghana | Writer and feminist activist |
 | Geetanjali Shree | India | Author and winner of the International Booker Prize |
| Alexandra Skochilenko | Russia | Artist, imprisoned by the Russian government for protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
 | Velia Vidal |  Colombia | Writer and El Chocó cultural and education campaigner |
| Esraa Warda |  Algeria USA | Dancer and proponent of raï,a grassroots genre historically associated with social protest |
Activism & Advocacy[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lina Abu Akleh |  Palestine | Human rights advocate | |
| Velmariri Bambari |  Indonesia | Activist and women's rights campaigner | |
.jpg) | Tarana Burke | USA | Activist. Started the MeToo movement. |
| Sanjida Islam Choya |  Bangladesh | Student | |
.jpg) | Heidi Crowter | UK | Disability rights campaigner with an emphasis on Down syndrome |
 | Sandya Eknelygoda |  Sri Lanka | Human rights activist |
 | Gohar Eshghi | Iran | Civil activist and Iranian Complainant Mother |
 | Ceci Flores | Mexico | Activist and member of the Madres Buscadoras de Sonora collective |
| Geraldina Guerra Garcés | Ecuador | Women's rights and anti-femicide activist | |
| Moud Goba | UK | Refugee and LGBTQ+ rights activist. Founding member of UK Black Pride | |
.jpg) | Women cutting their hair | Iran | Group protesting against Iranian laws against women, (especially the law mandating that women wear a hijab at all times) and against its restrictive laws and theocratic government in general |
| Gehad Hamdy |  Egypt | Dentist and humanitarian | |
.jpg) | Judith Heumann | USA | Disability rights advocate |
| Jebina Yasmin Islam | UK | Campaigner for women's safety | |
| Layli (pseudonym) | Iran | Protester | |
.png) | Hadizatou Mani |  Niger | Anti-slavery campaigner |
 | Oleksandra Matviichuk | Ukraine | Human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist at the Center for Civil Liberties. Helps Ukraine document proof of Russian atrocities resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
.jpg) | Narges Mohammadi | Iran | Journalist and human rights campaigner. Vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center |
| Tamana Zaryab Paryani | Afghanistan | Human rights activist | |
| Alice Pataxó | Brazil | Indigenous rights activist and climate campaigner | |
| Roya Piraei | Iran | Kurdish rights activist | |
 | Yuliia Sachuk | Ukraine | Disability rights advocate |
| Suvada Selimović |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Peace campaigner | |
.jpg) | Efrat Tilma | Israel | Transgender volunteer and LGBTQ+ activist |
_2_(cropped).png) | Zhou Xiaoxuan | China | Feminist activist |
Health & Science[edit]
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2021[edit]
The 2021 list was published on 7 December with special focus on Afghanistan. The year's keyword is reset, covering women who have contributed to "playing their part to reinvent our society, our culture and our world". The list was subdivided into four categories: Culture & Education, Entertainment & Sport, Politics & Activism and Science & Health, with half the total laureates being Afghan.[26]
Not everyone's real name was used for their safety; pseudonymised laureates are marked in the table below with an asterisk.
Culture & Education[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima Aafshid | Afghanistan | Poet and writer | |
| Oluyemi Adetiba-Orija[27] | Nigeria | Lawyer and founder of the all-women law firm Headfort Foundation | |
| Rada Akbar | Afghanistan | Artist | |
| Catherine Corless |  Ireland | Local historian | |
| Pashtana Durrani | Afghanistan | Teacher, founder and executive director of Learn Afghanistan | |
| Saeeda Etebari | Afghanistan | Jewellery designer | |
 | Sahar Fetrat | Afghanistan | Feminist activist, writer and film-maker |
_(sq_cropped).jpg) | Melinda French Gates | United States | Philanthropist and businesswoman |
| Saghi Ghahraman | Iran | Poet and co-founder the Iranian Queer Organization | |
| Angela Ghayour | Afghanistan | Teacher and founder of The Herat Online School | |
| Najlla Habibyar | Afghanistan | Entrepreneur | |
 | Shamsia Hassani | Afghanistan | Street artist |
| Mugdha Kalra | India | Autism-rights activist and co-founder of Not That Different | |
| Freshta Karim | Afghanistan | Children's-rights activist and founder of Charmaghz mobile library | |
| Aliya Kazimy | Afghanistan | Educator | |
 | Baroness Helena Kennedy QC | United Kingdom | Director, International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute |
| Iman Le Caire | Egypt | Contemporary dancer, choreographer and LGBTQ+ activist. Founder, Trans Asylias | |
| Depelsha Thomas McGruder | United States | Founder of Moms of Black Boys United, COO of the Ford Foundation | |
| Fahima Mirzaie | Afghanistan | Whirling-dervish dancer | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie[27] | Nigeria | Writer |
| Lynn Ngugi[27] |  Kenya | Journalist | |
 | Rehana Popal | Afghanistan | Barrister |
| *Rohila | Afghanistan | Schoolgirl | |
 | Alba Rueda |  Argentina | Trans activist |
 | Elif Shafak | France | Novelist and advocate for women's and LGBTQ+ rights |
| Anisa Shaheed | Afghanistan | Journalist | |
_(Mina_Smallman_cropped).jpg) | Mina Smallman | United Kingdom | Priest and educator |
| Barbara Smolińska |  Poland | Founder of Reborn Sugar Babies | |
| Adelaide Lala Tam | China | Artist and food designer | |
 | Vera Wang | United States | Fashion designer |
 | Malala Yousafzai | Pakistan | Nobel Peace Prize laureate, co-founder of the Malala Fund and girls’ education activist |
Entertainment & Sport[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Halima Aden | Kenya | Humanitarian and former model. UNICEF ambassador for children's rights. |
.jpg) | Leena Alam | Afghanistan | Actor and human-rights activist |
| Sevda Altunoluk |  Turkey | Professional goalball player and Paralympic champion | |
.jpg) | Nilofar Bayat | Afghanistan | Wheelchair basketball player and advocate for women with disabilities |
| Carolina García | Argentina | Director, Netflix | |
| Ghawgha Taban | Afghanistan | Musician | |
| Chloé Lopes Gomes | France | Ballet dancer | |
| Tanya Muzinda[28] |  Zimbabwe | Motocross champion | |
| *Razma | Afghanistan | Musician | |
.jpg) | Roya Sadat | Afghanistan | Film-maker |
| Shogufa Safi | Afghanistan | Orchestra conductor | |
| *Sahar | Afghanistan | Footballer | |
| Fatima Sultani | Afghanistan | Mountaineer and martial arts expert | |
_-_Nanfu_Wang.jpg) | Nanfu Wang | China | Film-maker |
_(cropped)_(2).jpg) | Ming-Na Wen |  Macau( China) | Actor |
 | Rebel Wilson | Australia | Actress, writer and producer |
Politics & Activism[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muqadasa Ahmadzai | Afghanistan | Social and political activist. Recipient of N-Peace award | |
| Abia Akram | Pakistan | Disability rights activist | |
| Dr Alema | Afghanistan | Philosopher, campaigner and women's-rights advocate | |
| Wahida Amiri | Afghanistan | Librarian and protester | |
 | Natasha Asghar | United Kingdom | Member of the Welsh Senedd |
 | Marcelina Bautista | Mexico | Activist and union leader |
.jpg) | Crystal Bayat | Afghanistan | Social activist and human-rights advocate |
| Razia Barakzai | Afghanistan | Protester | |
 | Najla El Mangoush | United Kingdom  Libya | Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Shila Ensandost | Afghanistan | Teacher and women's rights advocate | |
| Fatima Gailani | Afghanistan | Peace negotiator | |
| Momena Ibrahimi | Afghanistan | Policewoman | |
| Hoda Khamosh | Iran | Period campaigner, poet and journalist | |
 | Elisa Loncón Antileo |  Chile | President, Constitutional Convention |
| *Maral | Afghanistan | Campaigner | |
| *Masouma | Afghanistan | Public prosecutor | |
.jpg) | Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa |  Samoa | Prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa |
 | Salima Mazari | Iran | Politician and former governor of Charkint district |
 | Amanda Nguyen | United States | Social entrepreneur, civil-rights activist and founder of Rise |
| Basira Paigham | Afghanistan | Gender-equality and gender-minorities activist | |
| Monica Paulus |  Papua New Guinea | Campaigner against sorcery accusation-related violence | |
.jpg) | Manjula Pradeep | India | Lawyer and human-rights activist. Executive director of the Navsarjan Trust |
| Halima Sadaf Karimi | Afghanistan | Campaigner for women's rights, politician and former MP | |
| Soma Sara | United Kingdom | Founder of Everyone's Invited | |
| Mahbouba Seraj | Afghanistan | Women's and children's rights activist. Founder, Afghan Women's Network | |
| *Ein Soe May |  Myanmar | Pro-democracy activist | |
| Piper Stege Nelson | United States | Women's-rights activist and Public Strategies Officer at The Safe Alliance | |
| Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng[29] | Myanmar | Catholic nun | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Emma Theofelus |  Namibia | Politician |
| Benafsha Yaqoobi | Afghanistan | Disabled rights advocate | |
| Zala Zazai | Afghanistan | Policewoman |
Science & Health[edit]
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2020[edit]
The 2020 list was described as "different" before it was scheduled to be announced on 24 November 2020,[30] but it was released the day before. One name on the list was left blank as a tribute to the countless women around the world who had made sacrifices to help others. The list was subdivided into four categories: Knowledge, Leadership, Creativity and Identity.[31]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description[32] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsung hero | Worldwide | Acknowledgement of the "countless women around the world" who "have made a sacrifice to help others" in this "extraordinary year," including those who "have lost their lives while making a difference." |
Knowledge[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rina Akter | Bangladesh | Bangladeshi sex worker turned humanitarian | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Sarah Al-Amiri |  UAE | Chair, UAE Space Agency |
.jpg) | Adriana Albini |  Italy | Pathologist and veteran fencer |
| Nisreen Alwan | Iraq | Health and wellbeing of women through public health | |
.jpg) | Elizabeth Anionwu | United Kingdom | Sickle cell and thalassaemia nurse specialist |
 | Diana Barran | United Kingdom | Minister for Civil Society and founder of SafeLives, a national charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse |
| Macinley Butson | Australia | Inventor | |
.jpg) | Fang Fang | China | Writer |
| Somaya Faruqi | Afghanistan | Robotics team leader | |
| Lauren Gardner | USA | Epidemiologist | |
| Iman Ghaleb Al-Hamli | Yemen | Manager of a women-run microgrid | |
 | Sarah Gilbert | United Kingdom | Scientist who developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines |
 | Rebeca Gyumi |  Tanzania | Lawyer and founder of girls' rights organization Msichana Initiative |
| Jemimah Kariuki | Kenya | Doctor and creator of the free Wheels for Life ambulance service | |
| Safaa Kumari | Syria | Plant virologist | |
 | Ishtar Lakhani |  South Africa | Feminist activist |
| Lucy Monaghan | United Kingdom | Campaigner against sexual violence | |
| Douce Namwezi N'Ibamba | DRC | Social entrepreneur, journalist and activist | |
.png) | Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu |  Uganda | Mental health programme developer |
| Vernetta M Nay Moberly | United States | Iñupiaq environmental activist | |
.jpg) | Sania Nishtar[33] | Pakistan | Global health leader |
| Lorna Prendergast | Australia | Dementia researcher | |
| Susana Raffalli | Venezuela | Delivering nutrition to the malnourished | |
| Sapana Roka Magar[34] | Nepal | Crematorium technician | |
 | Pardis Sabeti | Iran | Computational geneticist |
| Febfi Setyawati | Indonesia | Activist, founder of Untukteman.id | |
 | Ruth Shady |  Peru | Archaeologist |
.jpg) | Kathy Sullivan | United States | Scientist and astronaut |
| Rima Sultana Rimu | Bangladesh | Teacher and humanitarian activist working with Rohingya refugees | |
| Anastasia Volkova | Ukraine | Agricultural innovator. Founder of FluroSat | |
.jpg) | Siouxsie Wiles[35] | UK | Scientist and public health communicator |
 | Yee-Sin Leo |  Singapore | Doctor and research leader |
Leadership[edit]
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Creativity[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Houda Abouz[37] | Morocco | Rapper, women's rights and gender equality advocate |
 | Waad al-Kateab | Syria | Activist, journalist and filmmaker |
 | Tsitsi Dangarembga | Zimbabwe | Novelist and filmmaker |
| Karen Dolva |  Norway | Chief executive and co-founder of No Isolation | |
 | Jane Fonda | United States | Actor and social activist |
 | Kiran Gandhi | United States | Singer, musician, and gender liberation activist |
| Miho Imada | Japan | Master sake brewer | |
| Isaivani | India | Gaana singer and political campaigner | |
| Nadine Kaadan | France | Children's author and illustrator | |
 | Mulenga Kapwepwe |  Zambia | Artist and co-founder of the Zambian Women's History Museum |
_(cropped).jpg) | Jackie Kay | United Kingdom | Playwright, novelist and national poet of Scotland |
.jpg) | Mahira Khan[33] | Pakistan | Actor and activist and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador |
 | Angélique Kidjo |  Benin | Musician and UNICEF ambassador |
| Chu Kim Duc |  Vietnam | Architect and child welfare activist | |
.JPG) | Bulelwa Mkutukana[38] | South Africa | Singer songwriter |
.jpg) | Nandar | Myanmar | Feminist activist |
 | Ana Tijoux | France | Chilean hip hop protester |
.png) | Yulia Tsvetkova | Russia | Activist, political prisoner |
.jpg) | Kotchakorn Voraakhom | Thailand | Landscape architect |
.jpg) | Elin Williams | United Kingdom | Disability rights activist |
.jpg) | Michelle Yeoh |  Malaysia | Actor and UN goodwill ambassador |
Identity[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muyesser Abdul'ehed (AKA Hendan) | China | Uyghur writer and language activist | |
.jpg) | Erica Baker | Germany | Software engineer |
.jpg) | Cindy Bishop | Thailand | UN goodwill ambassador and model |
| Wendy Beatriz Caishpal Jaco |  El Salvador | Advocate for the rights of disabled people | |
 | Patrisse Cullors | USA | Human rights activist. Co-founder and executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation |
 | Shani Dhanda | UK | Disability activist |
 | Eileen Flynn | Ireland | Senator and social activist |
 | Alicia Garza | USA | Human rights activist. Co-creator of Black Lives Matter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network |
| Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim[36] | Nigeria | LGBTQ film director and activist | |
 | Gülsüm Kav | Turkey | Doctor, activist, co-founder of We Will Stop Femicide |
| Josina Machel |  Mozambique | Human rights activist | |
| Hayat Mirshad | Lebanon | Feminist activist, journalist, co-founder of Fe-Male collective | |
| Laleh Osmany | Afghanistan | Women's rights activist and founder of #WhereIsMyName campaign | |
| Cibele Racy | Brazil | Teacher, racial equality activist | |
_(cropped).jpg) | Lea T | Brazil | Transgender rights advocate and model |
 | Ayu (Opal) Tometi | USA | Human rights activist. Co-founder of Black Lives Matter |
.jpg) | Alice Wong | United States | Disability rights activist. Founder of the Disability Visibility Project |
2019[edit]
The 2019 list was announced on 16 October 2019. The list of candidates was chosen from those nominated by the BBC's different language teams using the 2020 theme which was "The Female Future". The list was subdivided into six categories: Earth, Knowledge, Leadership, Creativity, Sport and Identity.[39]
Earth[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judith Bakirya | Uganda | Organic farmer and women's rights activist | |
| Ella Daish | United Kingdom | Environmentalist and anti-plastic campaigner | |
.jpg) | Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman |  United States | Urban anthropologist and co-founder of The Women Led Cities Initiative |
 | Gada Kadoda |  Sudan | Founder of the Sudanese Knowledge Society and trainer of community engineers |
| Jamie Margolin | United States | Climate change activist and co-founder of Zero Hour movement | |
_F70A6326_(49199213312)_(cropped).jpg) | Francia Márquez | Colombia | Afro-Colombian environmentalist and leader of a 10-day, 350-mile women's march. Winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize |
.jpg) | Trang Nguyen | Vietnam | Wildlife conservationist and founder of WildAct |
| Autumn Peltier | Canada | Clean water advocate | |
| Swietenia Puspa Lestari | Indonesia | Founder of the Divers Clean Action Foundation and anti-straw campaigner | |
| Charlene Ren | China | Clean water advocate, creator of MyH2O | |
.jpg) | Najat Saliba | Lebanon | Air pollution researcher and chemistry professor |
 | Vandana Shiva | India | Environmental leader and winner of the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize |
 | Greta Thunberg |  Sweden | Climate change activist |
 | Marilyn Waring |  New Zealand | Feminist economist and environmental activist |
Knowledge[edit]
| Image | Name | Country of birth | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | MiMi Aung | United States | NASA project manager and engineer |
.jpg) | Raya Bidshahri | Iran | Educator and founder of Awecademy |
 | Katie Bouman | United States | Processed first-ever image of a black hole |
.jpg) | Lisa Campo-Engelstein | United States | Bioethicist and fertility and contraceptive researcher |
 | Rana el Kaliouby | Egypt | Artificial emotional intelligence pioneer. Founder of Affectiva |
 | Amy Karle | United States | Bioartist and 3D-designer |
 | Fei-Fei Li | United States | Pioneer of artificial intelligence who encourages women and minorities to build AI. |
.jpg) | Julie Makani | Tanzania | Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease |
| Sarah Martins Da Silva | United Kingdom | Consultant gynaecologist, obstetrician and fertility researcher | |
 | Susmita Mohanty | India | Spaceship designer, entrepreneur and passionate climate action advocate |
| Benedicte Mundele | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Fresh food entrepreneur and founder of Surprise Tropical | |
| Zehra Sayers |
|