Indomie Awards puts 18 young heroes in spotlight

The search for Nigeria’s most inspiring young heroes has entered a decisive stage as the Indomie Heroes Awards 2026 moves closer to unveiling this year’s winners following the conclusion of the Judges’ Sitting.

The journey to the final 18 began with the official call for entries by Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie, which invited Nigerians to nominate exceptional young people whose actions demonstrated courage, compassion, resilience and impact.

Entries were received through the official Indomie website, while commissioned research agencies also sourced and verified authentic hero stories from across the country, according to a statement from the firm on Wednesday.

The agencies were tasked with providing supporting evidence for each submission, including photographs, videos, witness testimonials and other relevant documentation, where applicable. From almost 500 entries, the project team reviewed the submissions and supporting materials before selecting the 18 outstanding stories across the three categories: Physical Bravery, Social Bravery and Intellectual Bravery.

The finalists were subsequently presented to a five-member judging panel comprising Nyma Zibiri, Lawyer, Television Host and Public Affairs Commentator; Kehinde Adegboyega, Executive Director, Human Rights Journalists Network Nigeria; Biodun Kolawole, Educator, Financial Literacy Advocate and Youth Development Champion; Oluwatosin Babasanya-Craig, Corporate Coach, Leadership Consultant and Education Specialist; and Victory Ashaka, Youth Advocate, Spoken Word Artist and Social Impact Leader.

The strength of the finalists made the deliberations particularly challenging. Kehinde Adegboyega said: “We had strong ties. We had a lot of bravery. We had a lot of amazing submissions,” noting that the Social Bravery category was especially difficult to judge.

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For Nyma Zibiri, the stories reflected a deeper expression of empathy. She said she found “more of it” in this year’s entries, defining a true hero as someone “empathetic enough to put the love of self aside and help someone else, no matter what.”

Biodun Kolawole highlighted evidence and impact as critical considerations, while Oluwatosin Babasanya-Craig pointed to resilience, bravery, fast thinking, caution and the ability to think beyond oneself as defining qualities of heroism.

For Victory Ashaka, reaching the final 18 from almost 500 entries is itself an achievement. “Your story definitely matters,” he said, encouraging every finalist to see themselves as a winner.

Beyond recognising individual acts of courage, the awards provide a platform for bringing the stories of otherwise “unsung heroes” into the national spotlight. Kehinde Adegboyega described it as a platform that reaches “the vulnerable, the less privileged” and gives their stories visibility.

With judging now concluded, anticipation builds towards the announcement of the 2026 winners. Now in its 18th year, the Indomie Heroes Awards continues to discover and celebrate young Nigerians whose extraordinary actions demonstrate that heroism is not defined by age, but by the courage to make a difference.