In March, we launched the Inaugural Zikoko HER: Women of the Year Awards to culminate Women’s History Month. Our mission was simple but heavy: acknowledge the Nigerian women who carried the culture, the economy, and the zeitgeist on their backs over the past year.
We curated a list of 50 incredible nominees across 10 categories. Then, we handed the mic to you. After thousands of audience votes and weeks of spirited debate, the people have spoken.
It only made sense to crown these icons at HERtitude 2026, our women-only haven created to uplift and celebrate women in every room, every sector, and every shade of brilliance.
50 women. 10 winners. 1 year of pure impact. Meet your 2026 Zikoko HER Women of the Year.
The Gamechanger Award
This celebrates innovators who solve real-world problems through code, hardware, and scalable digital infrastructure.
The winner for The Gamechanger is the visionary behind Money Africa and Ladda, who has equipped over 200,000 people with financial literacy: Oluwatosin Olaseinde!
The Breakout Award
This is for the women who weren’t on the mainstream radar 12 months ago but have since become unavoidable and brilliant.
The winner for The Breakout is the versatile star who evolved from an indie darling into a dominant writer, director, and lead actor: Uzoamaka Power!
The Main Character Award
This is for the actresses, directors, and producers who drove the year’s biggest cultural conversations and streaming hits.
The winner for The Main Character is the undisputed Box Office Queen who made history with Behind The Scenes—the first Nollywood production to cross the ₦2 billion mark: Funke Akindele!
The Blueprint Award
This award is for the architects of the economy: the CEOs and founders scaling empires across the continent.
The winner for The Blueprint is the woman who scaled her remote work ecosystem to support over 150,000 women globally: Adeife Adeoye!
The Essence Award
For the women who provide the building blocks for our peace and our glow: the mental health advocates and beauty pioneers.
The winner for The Essence is the content powerhouse who scaled her beauty brand, PriscyLuxe, into a global retail force: Priscilla Ojo!
The Headliner Award
For the artists, producers, and label execs defining the global sound and ensuring the world is listening to us right now.
The winner for The Headliner is the ‘Sabi Girl’ who dominated the global charts with a relentless run of back-to-back hits: Ayra Starr!
The Force Award
For the activists and policy-shapers who hold power accountable and fight for systemic change.
The winner for The Force is the legislator who delivered historic infrastructure and digital learning milestones across Kogi Central: Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan!
The Storyteller Award
For the journalists, authors, and podcasters who documented our lives and redefined the scale of African storytelling.
The winners for The Storyteller are the duo who transformed their podcast into a global touring phenomenon with The Bounce Live: FK & Jola (ISWIS)!
The MVP Award
This is for the athletes and leaders who didn’t just play the game; they changed the rules and brought home the gold.
The MVP is our world-record holder, who remains the undisputed queen of the track: Tobi Amusan!
The Muse Award
Celebrating the designers and models whose aesthetics and influence birthed the year’s biggest trends.
The winner for The Muse is the designer whose technical brilliance and high-fashion vision defined the 2026 red carpet: Veekee James!
