Kushal Sachdeva, a student from Delhi’s Vasant Valley School, has won the Diana Award 2026 for his work helping India’s stray dogs. Through his organisation Protect Paws, Sachdeva has helped feed more than 1,500 stray dogs, vaccinated 200, sterilised 110 and rescued more than 30 animals, while raising over $13,000 to support animal welfare.
Sachdeva began feeding a starving street dog at the age of 11, in 2020, and the habit grew into Protect Paws, an organisation that now arranges medical treatment, vaccinations and reflective collars for stray dogs across Delhi. The reflective collars are a small detail with a big purpose: they make the dogs visible to drivers at night on the city’s busy roads.
One of 198 young changemakers
The Diana Award was announced on November 4 at a virtual ceremony streamed internationally. This year, 198 young people from 44 countries were honoured, with India accounting for nearly a quarter of the recipients at 49 honorees. The award, established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, recognises young people aged 16 to 25 for social action and humanitarian work.
Sachdeva was highlighted by NPR among the Indian honorees, alongside young innovators working on construction safety, air pollution and menstrual stigma. The award carries no prize money; its value is recognition, and a place in a global network of young people trying to fix the problems in front of them.
A wider wave of young winners
The 2026 cohort shows how much of the change is being driven by teenagers. Aadvik Jain, 18, won for Team Period, an initiative he started in 2024 to fight menstrual stigma and improve access to pads in Delhi schools. Shiv Mandlik was honoured for a bendable pole to help construction workers avoid dangerous heights and an app to detect falls, while Krish Aggarwal built a low-cost filter that fits onto ordinary fans to reduce indoor air pollution.
For Sachdeva, the award is recognition of six years of steady work that began with a single hungry dog. Protect Paws continues to feed, vaccinate and rescue Delhi’s strays, and its founder now has an international platform to grow it further. See Teens paddle through flood to save mum, son and 3 dogs and Deer freed after 10 days with pumpkin stuck on its head.
