The Campaigner of the Year Award: presented by Intuit Mailchimp recognises 3 of the world's most innovative young individuals who are inspiring others to take action through their work and effecting positive global change.
These 3 campaigners have been selected as winners because of the tremendous impact they are creating through advocacy, marketing, or communications.
The winners were selected from a shortlist by One Young World's expert judging panel, chaired by Dee Dunne, Senior Director of Global Lifecycle Marketing & Operations at Intuit Mailchimp.
The 3 winners will be presented with this award at the One Young World Summit 2024 in Montréal (Tiohtià:ke), Canada.
The Winners
Chanel Contos
Chanel Contos is a 26-year-old from Sydney who is the founder of Teach Us Consent, a grassroots campaign that exposed the prevalence of sexual violence in students, and advocated for consent education to prevent this. In 2021 Chanel’s petition gained over 45,000 signatures, and 7000 young people submitted testimonies to teachusconsent.com. This inspired similar action in the UK. After a year of campaigning, Chanel presented to the Ministers of Education, where they unanimously agreed to mandate consent education, every year, from Kindergarden-10. Chanel has also successfully campaigned to criminalise stealthing in two Australian states.
Chanel believes the vast majority of sexual violence is preventable through education. Her advocacy is defined by her ability to convene policy makers, experts and youth. Chanel’s advocacy has driven millions in Government funding to the sector, and recently her grassroots organisation was granted $3.5 million to continue their youth-led work.
Chanel has a Masters in Gender, Education, and International Development from UCL, and she is the author of Consent Laid Bare.
She has been awarded:
- Australian Human Rights Commissions Young People’s Medal 2021
- BBC World’s 100 Influential and Inspiring Women 2022
- Diana Award 2022
- NSW Young Woman of the Year 2023
Elena Michael
Elena Michael is the co-founder and director of #NotYourPorn, a survivor-led movement combating image-based sexual abuse affecting non-consenting adults, sex workers, and under-18s. The organization influences international legislation and policy, provides survivor support, and drives social change. #NotYourPorn played a role in shaping the EU’s Digital Safety Act, the UK’s Online Safety Act, and the criminalization of deepfakes in the UK. They have supported over 450 survivors, including high-profile cases like Georgia Harrison's, a UK reality TV star whose intimate tape was non-consensually posted online.
#NotYourPorn aids schools in creating infrastructure to handle image-based abuse and regularly conducts talks to educate students and school leaders. Their interventions equip young people to make informed digital decisions and to not be bystanders to online victimization. The movement has significantly impacted commercial accountability for image-based abuse, most notably through an investigation with the Sunday Times into child abuse on Pornhub, leading to the site deleting 80% of its content.
Elena’s efforts were recognized with the UK’s National Accident Helpline’s Future Legal Mind Award and a shortlist for the UK’s Young Digital Leader of the Year Award in 2021. In 2024, she was featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for social impact.
Find out ways you can help the #NotYourPorn campaign, and for support if you, or someone you know is experiencing image-based sexual abuse please visit: https://notyourporn.com/
Vanessa Mbonu
Vanessa Mbonu serves as the NAACP’s Vice President of Marketing. She has been instrumental in communicating the organization’s federal advocacy and policy initiatives through digital campaigns, media relations, and integrated marketing. As a key member of the executive leadership team, Vanessa has modernized NAACP’s digital organizing efforts and cultural recognition.
Under her leadership, the NAACP’s digital strategy has secured over $15 million in individual donor contributions. She contributed to a 70 percent increase in NAACP Image Awards viewership, doubled YouTube subscribers, and achieved over 30 percent growth in email subscribers. These efforts have amplified NAACP’s calls for justice and equity to audiences typically reached by Fortune 500 brands.
Vanessa co-produced "UNPCKD," a series with The Webby Awards addressing critical issues for communities of color and promoting a more inclusive internet. Drawing inspiration from her identity as a young Black woman, she is dedicated to creating meaningful social impact and empowering young people.
An immigrant from Lagos, Nigeria, Vanessa graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. John's University and earned her master’s from the London School of Economics. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Lister (2024), Cannes Lions BMA scholarship recipient (2023), and a MIPAD 40 Under 40 honoree
About Intuit Mailchimp
Intuit Mailchimp is an email and marketing automations platform for growing businesses. We empower millions of customers around the world to start and grow their businesses with world-class marketing technology, award-winning customer support, and inspiring content. Mailchimp puts data-backed recommendations at the heart of your marketing, so you can find and engage customers across email, social media, landing pages, and advertising— automatically and with the power of AI.
Intuit is the global financial technology platform that powers prosperity for the people and communities we serve with TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp.