Outstanding Young Hero In Malaysia Receives Award In Memory Of Princess Diana

Young person from Malaysia is honoured with The Diana Award for going above and beyond in their daily life to create and sustain positive change.

Max Han, aged 22, from Malaysia has been recognised with the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts – The Diana Award.

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, HRH The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex.

MAX HAN YOUTHS UNITED FOR EARTH, MALAYSIA, 22 Max is a co-founder of the nonprofit ‘Youths United for Earth’ (YUFE) at the age of 19. YUFE mobilizes Malaysians nationwide for environmental action through storytelling, grassroots projects, and environmental advocacy. Living in regions affected by climate change, they aim to highlight Southeast Asian environmentalism internationally. Max has led over 70 youths in spearheading campaigns that have reached 30,000 Malaysians. Max also launched Malaysia’s largest sustainability mentorship programme that connects undergraduates with environmental leaders globally, resulting in internships, jobs, and eco-startups. He has also advocated for environmental justice and environmental defenders' rights in Southeast Asia through ASEAN and the UN.

Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award, says: “We warmly congratulate our new Diana Award recipients from the UK and across the world who are changemakers for their generation. These young people demonstrate that young people have the power to change the world; a belief also held by Diana Princess of Wales. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own changemaking journey.”

WHAT IS THE NOMINATION PROCESS? Award recipients have been put forward by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and recognised their efforts as a positive contribution to society. Through a rigorous nomination process, these nominators had to demonstrate the nominee’s impact in five key areas: Vision, Social Impact, Inspiring Others, Youth Leadership, and Service Journey.

There are 20 Diana Award Judging Panels representing each region or nation both in the UK and internationally. Panels consist of three judges who understand the value of young people, including one young person representative. The panels have an important main purpose: to determine which nominations from each region or nation will receive a Diana Award.

Nominations are judged using the Criteria Guide and Scoring Guide which have been created to measure quality of youth social action.

About The Diana Award The charity fosters, develops and inspires positive change in the lives of young people through four key programmes which include a mentoring programme for young people at risk, a youth-led anti-bullying ambassadors campaign, a collaborative Changemakers programme that aims to reimagine mental health support for young people from racialised communities and a prestigious award which publicly recognises young changemakers – The Diana Award.