WATCH | Stars unite as Global Citizen Prize honours heroes fighting poverty

Sir Elton John, Warren Buffett, the Black Lives Matter movement and SA's own WISE Collective are among this year's Global Citizen Prize winners, announced this month.

In a ceremony hosted by John Legend, the winners were recognised for their efforts in shaping the world in a positive way and helping to end extreme poverty.

The show featured performances by Alessia Cara, Carrie Underwood, Common and Gwen Stefani, among others, and appearances by John Oliver, Katie Couric, Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Nikolaj-Coster Waldau, Oprah Winfrey, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Usher.

Watch the full Global Citizen Prize broadcast:

The award winners

• Global Citizen of the Year: US lawyer and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson
• Global Citizen Artist of the Year Prize: Sir Elton John
• Global Citizen Business Leader Prize: Temie Giwa-Tubosun, the founder of LifeBank, a business enterprise in Nigeria working to improve access to blood transfusions in the country
• Global Citizen World Leader Prize: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
• Global Citizen Prize for Philanthropy: Warren Buffett, the US investor
• Global Citizen Prize for Culture and Education: Sesame Workshop, the US non-profit organisation behind Sesame Street and other initiatives
• Global Citizen Prize for Activism: The Black Lives Matter movement, represented by co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi
• Global Citizen SA’s Hero Award: Presented by Vodacom and honouring the WISE Collective for its efforts in the fight against gender-based violence

Global Citizen has also released Stand Up, a collection of eight musical collaborations that aims to celebrate the heroism of leaders and activists around the world. These collaborations are between Jordin Sparks and MILCK; Yola and PJ Morton; Tori Kelly and JoJo; Andra Day and Chelsea Collins; Masego and Bonfyre; Lucky Daye, BJRNCK and Big Freedia; and Ari Lennox and Goldlink.