Asia Game Changer Awards
The Asia Game Changer Awards is an annual award ceremony held in recognition of individuals and organizations within and connected to the Asian community that have made positive contributions to the development and improvement of Asia and society.
Inaugurated in 2014 by New York-based non-profit organization the Asia Society, in partnership with Citibank, the first ceremony was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. A total of thirteen honorees were awarded, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and internet entrepreneur Jack Ma, who was honoured as the first ever Game Changer of the Year. Nominees are selected from individuals and institutions nominated from the Asia Society's global network, which then embarks on a three-month long process of feedback and voting that results in the final awardees. While recipients are usually from varying diverse backgrounds, the 2019 ceremony marked the first time that all awardees for the year were women only.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies were held online.
Honorees
Image:Shigeru Ban.jpg|right|upright|thumb|200px|alt=Close-up shot of a man wearing a black shirt, looking directly into the camera.|Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was awarded for his work designing disaster relief shelters in Rwanda, Haiti, Japan etc. using recyclable materials.Image:David Cameron meets with Malala Yousafzai at the Syria Conference .jpg|right|upright|thumb|200px|alt=Malala seated in a chair facing away from the camera wearing a red head covering that drapes over her shoulders.|Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was awarded for her worldwide advocacy work for girls education.Image:Sana Mir Portrait.jpg|right|upright|thumb|200px|alt=|Pakistani cricketer Sana Mir was awarded in 2019 for her success in the traditionally male-dominated sport and for advocating for women's rights, both inside and outside of sports.Image:BTS on the red carpet of Korean Popular Culture & Arts Awards on October 24, 2018.png|right|upright|thumb|200px|alt=Group photo of BTS standing together wearing black suits with white shirts.|South Korean music group BTS was awarded at the 2020 ceremony for standing against discrimination and inspiring their global fanbase to do the same.Image:Osaka-2020 3.png|right|upright|thumb|200px|alt=|Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka was also honored at the 2020 ceremony for using her global platform to bring attention to racial injustice and supporting social change.| Year | Recipient | Occupation | Nationality | Ref. |
| 2014 | Shigeru Ban | Architect | Japan | |
| 2014 | Madhav Chavan | Social activist and entrepreneur philanthropist | India | |
| 2014 | Illac Diaz | Social entrepreneur | Philippines | |
| 2014 | Fashion Girls for Humanity | Non-profit charity organization | United States | |
| 2014 | Kuntoro Mangkusubroto | Head government minister | Indonesia | |
| 2014 | Saad Mohseni | Entrepreneur CEO | Afghanistan | |
| 2014 | Jacqueline Novogratz | Businesswoman CEO | United States | |
| 2014 | Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy | Journalist filmmaker activist | Pakistan | |
| 2014 | Playing for Change | Non-profit global music project | United States | |
| 2014 | Pawan Sinha | Scientist professor | United States | |
| 2014 | Malala Yousafzai | Activist | Pakistan | |
| 2015 | Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura | Physicist engineer inventor | Japan | |
| 2015 | Li Cunxin | Artistic director philanthropist | China | |
| 2015 | Lei Jun | Entrepreneur CEO philanthropist | China | |
| 2015 | Chanda Kochhar | ICICI managing director and CEO | India | |
| 2015 | Aasif Mandvi | Actor comedian writer | India | |
| 2015 | Mariam al-Mansouri | UAEAF Fighter Pilot | United Arab Emirates | |
| 2015 | Kiran Bir Sethi | Designer educator | India | |
| 2016 | Joey Alexander | Pianist | Indonesia | |
| 2016 | Muzoon Almellehan | Activist | Syria | |
| 2016 | Marita Cheng | Entrepreneur CEO | Australia | |
| 2016 | Soo-man Lee | Record producer and executive | South Korea | |
| 2016 | Dr. Sanduk Ruit | Ophthalmologist eye surgeon | Nepal | |
| 2016 | Ahmad Sarmast | Ethnomusicologist director | Afghanistan | |
| 2016 | Durreen Shahnaz | Entrepreneur professor speaker | Bangladesh | |
| 2016 | Karim Wasfi | Conductor cellist | Iraq | |
| 2016 | Zhang Yimou | Film director and producer | China | |
| 2017 | Sonita Alizadeh | Rapper activist | Afghanistan | |
| 2017 | Jean Liu | Business executive | China | |
| 2017 | Aisholpan Nurgaiv | Eagle hunter | Mongolia | |
| 2017 | Leng Ouch | Environmental activist | Cambodia | |
| 2017 | Dev Patel | Actor philanthropist | United Kingdom | |
| 2017 | Sesame Workshop | Non-profit organization | United States | |
| 2017 | Wu Tong | Businessman CEO | China | |
| 2017 | Tadashi Yanai | Businessman CEO | Japan | |
| 2018 | The Afghan Girls Robotics Team | Students | Afghanistan | |
| 2018 | Dr. Munjed Al Muderis | Doctor orthopedic surgeon human rights activist and humanitarian professor and lecturer | Iraq | |
| 2018 | The Founders of Koolulam | Social musical initiative | Israel | |
| 2018 | The Heroes of Fukushima | Plant workers first responders volunteers | Japan | |
| 2018 | Mira Rai | Sportswoman | Nepal | |
| 2018 | Raed Saleh and the Syrian White Helmets | Volunteer and civil defence organization | Syria | |
| 2018 | The Rescue Team at the Tham Luang Caves | Thailand | ||
| 2018 | Wang Shi | Entrepreneur environmentalist | China | |
| 2019 | Hoor Al Qasimi | SAF director curator artist | United Arab Emirates | |
| 2019 | Yuriko Koike | Governor of Tokyo | Japan | |
| 2019 | Kung Fu Nuns | Social activist humanitarian | Nepal | |
| 2019 | Sana Mir | Sportswoman | Pakistan | |
| 2019 | Faiza Saeed | Attorney | United States | |
| 2019 | Chhaya Sharma | NHRC Deputy Inspector General former Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner of Police | India | |
| 2019 | Jane Jie Sun | Businesswoman CEO | China | |
| 2020 | BTS | Musician philanthropist | South Korea | |
| 2020 | Vikas Khanna | Chef humanitarian | India | |
| 2020 | Miky Lee | Film producer businesswoman | South Korea | |
| 2020 | Yo-Yo Ma | Cellist humanitarian | France United States | |
| 2020 | Naomi Osaka | Sportswoman | Japan | |
| 2020 | Joseph Tsai and Clara Tsai | Businessman philanthropist | Taiwan | |
| 2021 | Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl | Rabbi | United States | |
| 2021 | Dr. Morris Chang | Businessman | Taiwan / United States | |
| 2021 | Dr. David Ho | Doctor scientist medical researcher | Taiwan / United States | |
| 2021 | Sal Khan | Educator | United States | |
| 2021 | Sunisa Lee | Gymnast | United States | |
| 2021 | Kim Ng | Baseball executive and general manager | United States | |
| 2021 | Sundar Pichai | CEO | India / United States | |
| 2022 | Michael Bloomberg | Entrepreneur philanthropist former Mayor of New York City | United States | |
| 2022 | Arunabha Ghosh | Founder-CEO of Council On Energy, Environment and Water | India | |
| 2022 | Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner | Poet climate change activist | Marshall Islands | |
| 2022 | Kristin Kagetsu | Co-founder-CEO of Saathi social entrepreneur | India | |
| 2022 | Navina Khanna | Co-founder of the HEAL Food Alliance | United States | |
| 2022 | Ma Jun | Environmentalist | China | |
| 2022 | Nanette Medved-Po | Philanthropist businesswoman | Philippines | |
| 2022 | Dr. Rajiv J. Shah | President of the Rockefeller Foundation | United States | |
| 2022 | Alok Sharma | Politician President for COP26 | United Kingdom | |
| 2022 | Janet Yang | Film producer President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | United States | |
| 2023 | Shabana Basij-Rasikh | Educator co-founder of the School of Leadership Afghanistan | Afghanistan | |
| 2023 | Yayoi Kusama | Contemporary artist | Japan | |
| 2023 | Josie Natori | Fashion designer entrepreneur pianist | Philippines / United States | |
| 2023 | The Philadelphia Orchestra | Diplomacy | United States | |
| 2023 | Yao Chen | Actress producer philanthropist | China | |
| 2023 | Dr. Stephen Riady | Philanthropist businessman | Singapore | |
| 2023 | Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki | Co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc. Philanthropist patron of the arts | United States Costa Rica / Japan | |
| 2023 | - | - | - | |
| 2023 | - | - | - | |
| 2023 | - | - | - |
Special awards
Image:20th Anniversary Schwab Foundation Gala Dinner.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=Jack Ma wearing a navy blue suit and matching patterned tie with a white shirt while smiling.|Chinese entrepreneur, and co-founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, is the first ever Asia Game Changer of the Year award recipient.Image:Indra Nooyi - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|right|upright|thumb|alt=|Indra Nooyi, Ceo of PepsiCo, is the first woman to be awarded the Asia Game Changer of the Year.
| Year | Award | Recipient | Occupation | Nationality | Ref. |
| 2014 | Asia Game Changer of the Year | Jack Ma | Businessman philanthropist | China | |
| 2015 | Asia Game Changer of the Year | Manny Pacquiao | Senator | Philippines | |
| 2018 | Asia Game Changer of the Year | Indra Nooyi | CEO | India | |
| 2016 | Lifetime Achievement Award | I. M. Pei | Architect | China | |
| 2017 | Lifetime Achievement Award | The Aga Khan | Imam philanthropist businessman | Switzerland |