The 2nd edition: a celebration of maternal and child health heroes
Following the success of our inaugural edition, we are excited to bring you the second edition of Penta’s Brighter Future Award (BFA) — a global initiative that honours champions working to improve health outcomes for pregnant people and children affected by infectious diseases worldwide.
The award recognises the vital role of local, community-led work in advancing maternal and child health, as well as making science accessible and equitable at the grassroots level.
Nominate suitably qualified individuals or organisations for the prestigious 2025-26 Brighter Future Awards. Submissions are accepted until 15th November 2025, 17:00 CET (deadline extended).
Nomination form
Award Categories
Penta’s Brighter Future Award
Six innovative grassroots champions—one from each global region*—will each receive €5,000 to support their ongoing work. Both individuals and organisations are eligible.
Penta’s Brighter Future Young Researcher Award
One exceptional young researcher—pursuing or having completed a PhD or equivalent professional training—will receive €5,000 to raise the visibility of their work. See Art. 5 of the Penta BFA Rules for more details on our definition of young researcher.
* To ensure global representation, winners will be selected from the following regions:
- North America
- Central & South America
- Europe (includes the UK and Russia)
- Africa
- Asia
- Oceania
At a glance
Champions from around the world
Total award pool
Award categories: 6 regional awards + 1 young researcher award
Important Dates
September – November 2025: Nominations & video submissions open
November 2025: The Voting Academy, made up of Penta ID Network members, selects top 40
November 2025: The Guest Jury, i.e. winners from the previous edition of the BFA, shortlists 21 finalists
December 2025: The Presiding Jury, our diverse panel of experts in infectious disease and child health, selects the 7 winners
December 2025 – January 2026: Winners announced
February – March 2026: Virtual Storytelling Bootcamp for winners
May 2026: Award Ceremony in Italy
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BFA?
A global initiative that honours champions working to improve health outcomes for pregnant people and children affected by infectious diseases worldwide
What are the goals of the BFA?
The award recognises the vital role of local, community-led work in advancing maternal and child health, as well as making science accessible and equitable at the grassroots level.
What do winners receive?
Each winner receives €5,000 to support their ongoing work, free access to a virtual storytelling bootcamp, and an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to attend the BFA ceremony at the Penta ID Network Meeting (PIM) in May 2026.
Who qualifies?
Individuals or organisations improving maternal and child health through work on infectious diseases.
Can communities or groups be nominated?
Yes. In such cases, only one of the group members will officially travel to Italy in 2026 for the BFA ceremony.
How many winners will there be?
Seven: one from each of the six global regions, plus one young researcher.
What are the judging criteria?
- Community collaboration
- Equity and impact
- Innovation and sustainability.
How is a Young Researcher defined?
Individuals undertaking or holding a Ph.D. or equivalent professional training ready to develop their research identity. More specifically, we consider a Young Researcher to be an individual who is:
- Pre-doctoral or doctoral student, or
- Researcher within seven years from the date of their first research-related appointment, minus eligible delays in research
- Resident (MDs in training within the first five years after becoming MD).
How do I nominate someone?
Submit a nomination via the official form. Please inform the nominee, as they must accept via email to proceed.
Keep in mind that you are not allowed to provide any sensitive information within your nomination, such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, health-related data, data concerning a person’s sex life or sexual orientation, trade union membership, or genetic data.
What happens after nomination?
Nominees must confirm their participation via email and submit a short video discussing their work. This is mandatory to remain in the competition. Instructions will be provided.
Is English required?
Yes. All entries must be submitted in English. However, language fluency will not be judged.
Are self-nominations allowed?
No. The BFA is based on a nomination system, which means that applications must be submitted by someone other than the nominee.
Are Network members eligible to be nominated?
Yes, a member of the Penta ID Network can both be nominated and nominate someone. If nominated, members of the Voting Academy, BFA Guest Jury and the Presiding Jury must abstain from evaluating their candidacy if they are colleagues from the same institution or members of the same Penta WGs.
Can a Penta ID Network member who joins the Voting academy still be nominated for an award?
No, a Network member who is nominated automatically ceases to be part of the Voting Academy.
What happens if a member of the BFA Guest Jury or the Presiding Jury is nominated for an award?
Their nomination is rejected.
Can Jury members (including those in the Voting academy, Guest Jury and Presiding Jury) nominate someone?
No, they cannot.
Meet our guest jury: the 2023-24 BFA Winners
We proudly celebrate the first edition’s awardees who are reshaping maternal and child health through local action.
Get inspired by exploring our BFA Resource centre featuring their stories and learn effective strategies to engage communities in research.
Young Researcher: Isaquel Bartolomeu Silva
Asia: Maria Karren Sta Maria
Europe: Medicus Mundi Italia
Africa: Adeodata R Kekitiinwa
Central and South America: Alejandra Sánchez Cabezas
North America: Jennifer Furin
Meet our Presiding Jury
A diverse panel of experts in infectious disease and child health, including:
Claire Thorne, Professor, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UK
Cristina Barroso Hofer, Professor, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Tavitiya Sudjaritruk, Paediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Talía Sainz, Assistant Professor, Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain
Eleanor Namusoke-Magongo, Founder, International Paediatric HIV/AIDS Symposium for Africa (IPHASA), Uganda
Vana Papaevangelou, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Expert, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Lungile Jafta, Penta Youth Engagement and participation expert, South Africa
Gareth Tudor-Williams, Emeritus Professor, Imperial College London, UK
BFA Partners
