The McNulty Foundation and Aspen Institute announced the 2025 John P. McNulty Prize Winners: Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, CEO of the Centre for Wildlife Studies; Mohamed Ali Diini, Founder and President of Iftin Global; and Layla Zaidane, President and CEO of Future Caucus. These fearless leaders dared to pursue innovative solutions in an era of conflict and uncertainty. They had lived between worlds—between the wild and the urban, between cultures and countries, and from refugee to returnee. Their experiences had become their superpower. With remarkable bravery and clarity of purpose, they answered the call to action in their communities.
Our goal was to mobilize our collective networks through both an organic announcement campaign and a subsequent paid media campaign, building the global profile of the Prize Winners and amplifying recognition of their innovative models of change. As a signature offering of the Prize, we produced a four-minute micro-documentary on each winner and released the films on our YouTube channel. The films told the stories of leaders who had answered the call to action and turned their vision into models for change.
The 2025 McNulty Prize announcement followed a three-pronged campaign strategy, anchored by official short films that highlighted each Winner’s inspiring story.
PART 1: ANNOUNCEMENT AMPLIFICATION
The goal was to maximize our collective reach during a moment of heightened visibility. All Winners, organizations, and partners were encouraged to collaborate, amplify one another across platforms, and share the news within their networks. Winner organizations were also encouraged to share the news with their boards, supporters, and local communities, helping to broaden awareness and engagement. This recognition was an opportunity to mobilize our networks, build new connections, and engage local media outlets.
PART 2: GLOBAL PAID AD CAMPAIGN
We then launched a global paid ad campaign to bring the official short films on our YouTube channel to priority audiences—including issue-area stakeholders, policymakers, peer organizations, and relevant diaspora communities—around the world. The films generated nearly 700,00 views on YouTube (and10 million combined views across YouTube and Meta channels). The films also went on to sweep the Webby Network’s 5th Annual Anthem Awards and the 47th Annual Telly Awards.
PART 3: POST-ANNOUNCEMENT
We continued actively promoting the Winners over the following several months, pursuing opportunities to expand their visibility through media coverage, including features in outlets such as Grist, speaking engagements, and other global platforms.
The official Prize short films generated more than 10 million combined views across YouTube and Meta channels, helping build global awareness of the Winners and their innovative models of change. The films also went on to sweep the Webby Network’s 5th Annual Anthem Awards and the 47th Annual Telly Awards. Together, these results demonstrate the power of the films to extend the reach of the Prize and shine a global spotlight on what’s possible when leaders step up to the most critical issues of our time with courage, imagination, and commitment to action.
One year after being named McNulty Prize Winners, the stories of three fearless leaders—Mohamed Ali Diini, Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, and Layla Zaidane—continue to resonate and inspire audiences around the world.
Since the films’ premiere, Krithi has been named the 2026 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year by the National Geographic Society and awarded the Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize. Mohamed has been named a 2026 Elevate Prize finalist, spoken at major global convenings, and continued advancing the Iftin Peace Hub, a campus soon to break ground that will unite healing, education, and community—offering a model for post-conflict reconstruction. Layla has been named a TIME100 Next honoree, featured on NBC News Daily, and hosted the Rising Star Awards, recognizing young legislators and changemakers for political bridge-building and future-focused leadership as they help shape the country’s next 250 years.