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CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION: 25 YEARS OF HONORING YOUNG HEROES

This new year holds extra excitement and meaning for us at the Barron Prize as it marks our 25th anniversary of honoring young heroes! As we celebrate this milestone, we’re full  of gratitude for our community of supporters and for our Barron Prize family — especially the young people we’ve honored over the years. Their heroic ideals continue to inspire us and their goodness gives us great hope.  

We can’t quite believe it’s been 25 years! Author T. A. Barron founded the Prize in 2001, convinced that stories of real-life young heroes could inspire young people every bit as much as the fictional heroes he creates. He named the Prize after his mother, Gloria Barron, a teacher and one of his own heroes who believed passionately in the power of each person to make a difference. That first year, we created an application process for Colorado youth who were helping their communities or protecting the environment. In June 2001, we honored our first ten winners.

Every year since then, we’ve welcomed applications from hundreds of public-spirited young people from across the U.S. and Canada. We’ve honored 600 young heroes and have awarded them more than $1.5 million to support their impactful work and their continuing education. These young people are as diverse as their service projects, representing all corners of the country and a rich variety of backgrounds. At the same time, they are like-minded forces for good who all demonstrate heroic ideals like courage, compassion, perseverance, and generosity of spirit. 

The world has changed a great deal in 25 years and yet we feel that what matters most remains the same – helping out one another, respecting and protecting our beautiful planet, and working to make the world a bit better. Our young heroes are doing those very things. We’re honored to know them and proud to share their stories in order to inspire others. 

What an incredible 25 years it’s been and here’s to all the continuing goodness ahead!