PHILADELPHIA, PA — WHYY will honor Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai with its Lifelong Learning Award on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. during an event in Philadelphia and online that will feature a live interview conducted by “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross, the organization announced.
WHYY said the award recognizes Yousafzai’s long-running advocacy for girls’ education and her efforts to promote education as a human right.
The event will include an interview between Yousafzai and Gross, host and co-executive producer of “Fresh Air With Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley.”
“I have seen the power of education to transform individual lives, families and communities around the world,” Yousafzai said in a statement. “It is an honor for me to return to Philadelphia and share my story with WHYY’s audiences and supporters.”
Yousafzai gained international attention after she was targeted in Pakistan at age 15 for her activism in support of girls’ education.
She survived the attack and continued her advocacy globally. In 2014, at age 17, she became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
She later co-founded the Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports girls’ access to secondary education and backs policy advocacy, grantmaking and local education efforts in multiple countries.
WHYY said Yousafzai is being recognized not only for her public advocacy but also for philanthropic work that has expanded educational access for young people in underserved regions.
The Malala Fund works through its Education Champion Network to support local advocates and has partnered with governments, civil society groups and international institutions to address barriers to schooling, according to the release.
WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo said Yousafzai’s work aligns with the organization’s focus on learning and civic engagement.
The Lifelong Learning Award has been presented for more than two decades and has previously gone to figures including author James Patterson, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., President Joseph Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
WHYY said proceeds from the April 14 event will support its mission and programming centered on storytelling, education, community dialogue and civic participation.
More information and tickets are available at whyy.org/events.
WHYY is the Philadelphia region’s public media provider, serving southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware.
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