December’s Young Planet Leader - Tariq Lawal
Tariq Lawal is an emerging entrepreneur and multifaceted creative from Lagos, Nigeria. A passionate advocate for people and the planet, he develops solutions to urgent problems of the 21st century. From the triple planetary crisis to societal inequalities, Tariq uses art, storytelling, and youth engagement to drive action. His advocacy began at the age of thirteen, when he wrote poems and fiction and designed graphics to highlight issues close to his heart. Over time, he grew bolder and embraced being what activist Bayard Rustin called an “angelic troublemaker.”
In 2023, Tariq took to the streets of Lagos Island to raise awareness about social and environmental issues. His public demonstration was featured by UNICEF during COP28. Since then, he has worked to spark awareness about overlooked issues and mobilize people to take meaningful action for the planet and its inhabitants. Through his Lagos Island Literacy Project, he promotes diverse literacies—including environmental and civic literacy—and fosters global citizenship and a love for nature among underserved children and youth in his community. He believes young people play an essential role in preserving the planet, so they must feel empowered to do so.
Recognized as one of Africa’s most globally awarded teenagers, he has received the Diana Award, the American Anthropological Association’s Junior Anthropologist Award, the Louis Anderson and Vincent Martinez World Citizenship Award, and an award from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for his involvement in the #BeWildForNature campaign, among other honors.
In 2024, Tariq won the #BeWildForNature Competition for his app concept, iConserve (now called Let’s Conserve), becoming the first young person from Lagos Island to win a United Nations–hosted competition. He was also a finalist for the $12,500 African Earth Prize andreceived an honorable mention from National Geographic for placing among the top fifty entries out of 2,700 submissions from teenagers in 96 countries in the Slingshot Challenge. He also placed third in the 16–18 category of the Greening Lagos Competition. His creativity has earned recognition from Global Citizen as one of their 2024 Emerging Creatives. He won the American Sociological Association’s Student Video Contest and became the first Nigerian runner-up of the annual photography competition for secondary school students organized by the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology.
Tariq is currently serving on the Youth Board for The Earth Prize, an annual competition for young people with ideas and solutions that can tackle urgent environmental challenges, convened by The Earth Foundation. He has also served as an advisor for World Ocean Day and TikTok and a Young Influencer for UNICEF Nigeria.
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