Outstanding Young Hero in London Receives Award in Memory of Princess Diana

Young person from London is honoured with The Diana Award for going above and beyond in their daily life to create and sustain positive change.

Nila Varman, aged 21, from London has been recognised with the highest accolade a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts – The Diana Award.

Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by the charity of the same name and has the support of both her sons, The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.

NILA VARMAN

Through her tireless online activism and award-winning radio show, ‘The Nila Extract’, Nila Varman strives to amplify the voices of marginalised communities – including her own south-Asian Tamil community. Despite being a full-time student with a part-time job, she pours hours every day into raising awareness for pressing social topics that are neglected or taboo in mainstream media and public discourse. At the beginning of her journey, Nila was nervous but undeterred in trying her hand at a brand-new skillset. Now, a year and a half later, her successful radio show has brought her a loyal audience, critical acclaim and the confidence to speak up for the things she believes in.

Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award, says:

“We warmly congratulate our new Diana Award recipients from the UK and across the world who are changemakers for their generation. It is especially poignant as we remember Princess Diana twenty-five years on. We know by receiving this honour they will inspire more young people to get involved in their communities and begin their own journey as active citizens.” 

WHAT IS THE NOMINATION PROCESS?

Award recipients have been put forward by adults who know the young people in a professional capacity and recognised their efforts as a positive contribution to society. Through a rigorous nomination process, these nominators had to demonstrate the nominee’s impact in five key areas: Vision, Social Impact, Inspiring Others, Youth Leadership, and Service Journey.

There are 20 Diana Award Judging Panels representing each region or nation both in the UK and internationally. Panels consist of three judges who understand the value of young people, including one young person representative. The panels have an important main purpose: to determine which nominations from each region or nation will receive a Diana Award.

Nominations are judged using the Criteria Guide and Scoring Guide which have been created to measure quality of youth social action.