Tom Osborn the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute./PHOTO; Shamiri Institute
Ashoka Fellow Tom Osborn, Founder and CEO of the Shamiri Institute, has been recognized as one of the 2026 Elevate Prize winners, an annual award that celebrates social impact leaders driving meaningful change on urgent global challenges.
The Elevate Prize, administered by the Elevate Prize Foundation, honors individuals whose work not only addresses social issues but also inspires broader audiences to take action in support of equity, innovation, and community well-being.
Announced on February 17, 2026, the award highlights Osborn’s pioneering efforts in youth mental health across Africa.
According to his profile on the Elevate Prize platform, Shamiri Institute reaches over 100,000 young people annually, providing scalable, evidence-based mental health interventions that help adolescents manage anxiety and depression, and improve overall well-being.
The Institute trains young adults to deliver brief, group-based interventions that are both effective and accessible, targeting communities that are often underserved by traditional mental health services.
Building Scalable Solutions for Youth Mental Health
Shamiri Institute is one of Africa’s largest youth mental health providers, and its approach combines research with practical, community-focused solutions.
The model emphasizes scalability, enabling trained young providers to reach large numbers of adolescents while maintaining a high standard of care.
By centering local leadership and peer-to-peer support, Shamiri has created a sustainable model that allows communities themselves to take an active role in youth well-being.
Before founding Shamiri, Osborn launched GreenChar at the age of 18, a clean energy venture that provided thousands of low-income families with safe cooking fuel.
This early initiative showcased his commitment to social entrepreneurship and his ability to develop solutions that address systemic challenges.
Shamiri continues this approach in the mental health space, combining social innovation with evidence-based programming to reach those most in need.
Recognition and Global Profile
Osborn’s leadership has been widely recognized.
He is a TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 Global Honoree, Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold Fellow, Acumen Fellow, and Draper Richards Kaplan Entrepreneur.
His research contributions include over 50 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as JAMA Psychiatry, The British Medical Journal, World Psychiatry, and The Lancet.
He is also co-author of What We Can’t Burn, a memoir exploring social innovation, friendship, and global energy transitions.
Elevate Prize Support
The Elevate Prize awards each winner $300,000 in unrestricted funding, with $50,000 allocated to the individual leader and $250,000 directed to their organization.
In addition to financial support, winners benefit from multi‑year guidance on leadership development, organizational growth, and visibility.
This includes assistance in storytelling and strategic messaging helping organizations share their work with wider audiences as well as opportunities to participate in global convenings and peer learning networks.
For Shamiri, the award opens doors for deeper investment in its peer‑led mental health model, building infrastructure to train more facilitators and expand into new communities.
It also brings greater attention to the importance of youth mental health in broader discussions about education, employment, and social inclusion.
Mental health advocates have increasingly emphasized the need for solutions that meet young people where they are, rather than relying solely on clinical systems that have limited reach in many developing contexts.
Osborn’s recognition for elevating a scalable, community‑focused model highlights this shift in how care can be provided.
Looking Ahead: 2027 Elevate Prize
Nominations for the 2027 Elevate Prize will open in April 2026, inviting bold social innovators and changemakers to apply.
The award seeks leaders who are not only solving pressing problems but also addressing systemic challenges, reshaping culture, and inspiring collective action.
The Elevate Prize Foundation encourages applicants whose work demonstrates measurable impact, sustainability, and the potential to influence communities at scale.
For Osborn and Shamiri Institute, the recognition reinforces the importance of locally led, scalable mental health interventions across Africa.
As the Elevate Prize continues to spotlight social innovators, it underscores the role of leaders like Osborn in transforming communities, promoting well-being, and offering practical solutions to some of the continent’s most pressing challenges.
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