An Indian activist who has tirelessly worked in eradicating the degrading practice of manual scavenging among India's untouchables, the dalits.

A Japanese organization of 50,000 volunteers that share their time and talents in over 80 countries worldwide to promote peace and international solidarity

Myanmar’s preeminent movie actor and director, who has also established a wide network of free health, social, and educational programs for the poor

An innovative man who left his job in a well-known firm to devote himself to the task of finding ever better, more sustainable ways of organizing the effort to help those in need

China’s “most dangerous woman” who has changed her country’s media landscape through her balanced and strongly-researched journalistic style that does not stir up emotions, and keeps its eye on the issues rather than on personalities

A fiercely independent Indonesian government body that serves as a symbol of hope and reform with the conviction to eradicate corruption—an extraordinary problem that needs to be tackled by extraordinary means

A determined Cambodian leader who has committed to using every inch of democratic space to empower his people in building a homeland that is democratic and free

A Bangladeshi community leader who organized a group that advocated for bettering the lives of disabled people in his country and beyond

A Japanese publisher who champions the plights of marginalized Japanese minorities and immigrant workers, and unmasked troubling accounts of Japan's history of discrimination, exploitation, predatory colonialism and war crimes as an imperial power