We're now in the last few days of the decade and, honestly, what better way to close out 2019 than with an all-star show celebrating some of the world's most incredible activists?
Luckily, the inaugural Global Citizen Prize award ceremony is coming to TV screens all around the world this December!
The ceremony was hosted on Dec. 13 at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall, bringing together musicians, artists, philanthropists, world leaders, business leaders, activists, and Global Citizens in a massive night of celebration and recognition of the amazing work that's being done globally in the fight against extreme poverty.
Think award ceremonies like the Oscars, the Grammys, and the BRITs, but the Global Citizen Prize instead exists to honor those who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better, fairer place to live.
The show featured performances from artists like Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Raphael Saadiq, Sting, Stormzy, and special guests Chris Martin, H.E.R., and Jorja Smith.
John Legend also hosted the show, alongside presenters Connie Britton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jason Derulo, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dakota Johnson, Leona Lewis, Himesh Patel, and Kal Penn.
The real stars of the show, however, were those prize winners being honored for their lifelong dedication and commitment: Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and winner of the Global Citizen Prize for world leader; Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani and winner of the Global Citizen Prize for a business leader; Sting, winner of the Global Citizen Prize for an artist; and Richard Curtis, who was presented with the Global Citizen of the Year award.
So what are you waiting for? Find out how to tune in here and get it scheduled into your calendars, written on post-it notes on the fridge — do whatever you need to do to make sure you don't miss out.
And if you need any more inspiration, here are just a few of our favorite, stand-out moments from a night filled with joy and celebration.
The whole room got to their feet for Amina Mohammed
Amina Mohamed receives the Global Citizen World Leader of the Year Prize at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Amina Mohamed receives the Global Citizen World Leader of the Year Prize at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, was presented with the Global Citizen Prize for a world leader, in recognition of a lifetime spent working to improve the lives of people all around the world.
Everyone in the audience filling the Royal Albert Hall got to their feet to celebrate her with a standing ovation — and it was honestly enough to bring tears to your eyes, along with Mohammed’s shout out to her amazing mum, Margaret Wilson.
“Today, our world is facing many crises: climate change, inequality, injustice, conflict,” she said in her speech. “And yet, we have never had so much in our hands to make the world a more peaceful and prosperous place.”
“Success depends on all of us and it can’t be business as usual,” she continued. “The ‘status quo’ is no longer acceptable. We leaders at all levels, in all constituencies, be it business, civil society, government, you name it, have to embrace the new era of change and deliver for people and for planet.”
Stormzy was joined by Chris Martin and a whole choir
(L-R) Stormzy and Chris Martin perform at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
(L-R) Stormzy and Chris Martin perform at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
In a truly stirring moment of the show, Stormzy was joined on stage by Chris Martin and a 12-person choir for his performance of “Crown” from his new album Heavy Is the Head — which also happened to drop on the same day as Global Citizen Prize.
Hamdi Ulukaya reminded us of the true meaning of business
Hamdi Ulukaya and Kal Penn are seen on stage at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Hamdi Ulukaya and Kal Penn are seen on stage at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Ulukaya, the CEO of Chobani, was honored with the Global Citizen Prize for a business leader in celebration of his work for employee rights and to help solve the refugee crisis.
He took to the stage to remind us that all businesses have a huge part to play in the fight against poverty and inequality.
“There is an idea out there that the sole purpose of business is to make money,” he told the crowd of Global Citizens. “Honestly, that’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever come across.”
“There are 25 million people who sleep tonight in muddy tents at refugee camps,” he continued. “The message for business is simple: Don’t pity them, hire them!”
Jennifer Hudson silenced the room
Jennifer Hudson performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Jennifer Hudson performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Hudson took everyone’s breath away with her ethereal acapella version of “Hallelujah”, awing the crowd into silence. You could have heard a pin drop as Hudson’s extraordinary voice filled the room, accompanied by thousands of swaying lights from people’s phones.
H.E.R.’s guitar solo was ridiculous
H.E.R performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
H.E.R performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
H.E.R. was simply stunning in her performance of “Fate” — which featured a completely absurd guitar solo that rocked the room and showed us all who’s boss. She then returned to the stage later in the show to join Sting in a performance of “Message in a Bottle” that got the whole audience up on their feet.
Richard Curtis gave the most beautiful reminder of why activism is needed right now
Richard Curtis accepts the Global Citizen of the Year Prize at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Richard Curtis accepts the Global Citizen of the Year Prize at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Iconic filmmaker Richard Curtis — behind some of the most loved British classics like Love Actually and Notting Hill — was recognized with the Global Citizen of the Year award.
He used his speech to remind us of a few “quite obvious” — but vital — words.
“All people are equal,” he told the room, to a stirring round of applause. “Children, all children, are as precious as yours and mine. All men and women are brothers and sisters.”
“Around the world tonight, this one beautiful, threatened planet that we all live on, millions of our children, and our brothers, and our sisters, are suffering most terribly,” he continued. “They are lonely, and hungry, and on the run, on our watch. And this is the time to do something about that.”
Our guests made us feel so positive for 2020!
Global Citizen Prize
Global Citizen Prize
Global Citizen Prize
Global Citizen Prize
Global Citizen Prize
A whole Royal Albert Hall-full of amazing people joined us for the night of celebration, music, and activism.
As well as the hosts, presenters, performers, and prize winners, we were joined by thousands of Global Citizens, every one of whom was essential to making the whole show so magical and uplifting.
As Leona Lewis told us on the red carpet: “Good things are happening, and maybe it’s small and it’s grassroots, but that’s how it starts. That’s how change starts, change starts from the people, and I’m glad that this is highlighting that.”
“There’s always hope. We can do it,” added Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. “I haven’t met anyone, anywhere, who doesn’t want the world to be a better place. To see, over the last few years, how everyone has engaged themselves in finding solutions, both governments and citizens, I’m hopeful.”
Sting was a legend
Sting performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Sting performs at the Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Sting was honored at the ceremony with the Global Citizen Prize for an artist, in recognition of his lifelong work fighting to protect the world’s rainforests and the Indigenous people living there through the Rainforest Fund.
Sting and his wife Trudie Styler founded the Rainforest Fund in 1989 and, over the last 30 years, their foundation has accomplished incredible success, having helped protect 33 million acres of rainforest.
“I was humbled recently by the words of Greta Thunberg, as she addressed the United Nations on the issue of climate change and, on behalf of her generation, she rightfully pointed the finger at mine,” he said, accepting the award. “Whatever we’ve done, whatever we’ve tried to accomplish in the struggle, we have not done enough.”
He returned to the stage later in the show for his performance, which included a collaboration with H.E.R. for “Message in a Bottle”.
The energy in his set was unreal, getting the whole audience up and dancing in a massive celebration of activism and music.
John Legend and Jorja Smith made our Christmas
Jorja and John Legend perform together at Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
Jorja and John Legend perform together at Global Citizen Prize at the Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 13, 2019 in London, England.
John Legend and Jorja Smith teamed up for the show finale, with a collaboration of one of the most beautiful and uplifting Christmas songs, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".
Thousands of voices joined them in the song, filling the room with a sense of positive goodwill and a feeling that changing the world together just might be possible.
And there was confetti, all the confetti.
Proud partners of the Global Citizen Prize include Comcast NBCUniversal, MSNBC, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Citi, Live Nation, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Motsepe Foundation.
