Five everyday heroes, five callings: CNN names its 2026 Hero of the Year finalists

CNN has named the five finalists for its 2026 Hero of the Year, and each story starts the same way: someone saw a need on their own street and stayed. Dion Dawson, who grew up with food insecurity on Chicago's South Side, now employs dozens of neighbours to deliver free fresh produce across the city. Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian, protects mountain gorillas by improving healthcare and livelihoods for the communities beside them. Andrew Lunetta builds tiny homes with long-term support for people leaving homelessness in Syracuse; Jaina Spagis rescues and rehomes San Bernardino's stray cats; and engineer Francisco 'Kiko' Trujillo co-founded a workshop providing wheelchairs and prosthetics to low-income people with disabilities in Nogales, Mexico. Each finalist receives $10,000 for their work, and the winner, chosen by public vote, a further $100,000.

SDG 10 · Reduced inequalities — Mechanism: community action