The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust was established by the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to support young leaders across the Commonwealth. The QECT 100 Young Leaders Awards 2026 commemorate what would have been Her late Majesty’s 100th birthday by recognising exceptional young changemakers working across education and employability, environment, food and agriculture, health, and inclusion.
Following a highly competitive process involving thousands of applications from across 56 commonwealth regions, only 100 young leaders aged 18 to 35 years old were selected for this prestigious international award. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place at the historic St. James’s Palace in London, United Kingdom, in June 2026. His Majesty, King Charles III serves as the official Patron for The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust in memory of his late mother, her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Malaysian recipients are Sarah Callista Ng Xue Qi, aged 19 from Kuala Lumpur, Ho Wei Liang (Liam), aged 27 from Johor, and Arissa Jemaima, aged 29, from Kuala Lumpur, who have been recognised with a landmark award as part of the centenary commemorations of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for their work in driving meaningful social change.
Ho Wei Liang (Liam), a technologist from Johor, whose work is driven by a dedication to leveraging artificial intelligence for environmental sustainability and accessible STEM education has been selected as one of the recipients of the award. By combining his elite engineering skills with a deep commitment to social good, Liam is transforming how marginalised youth engage with technology and proving that Malaysian innovators can lead the charge in solving critical global challenges. He has achieved profound community impact, having mentored over 1,200 youths and guided more than 80 technical projects.
Liam serves as a Board Member of the Global Youth AI Advisory Body, focusing on AI in Robotics and Automation, where he co-published youth voices and UN inputs on AI governance. Additionally, he has contributed his expertise as a Youth Delegate and Moderator for UNFCCC COP30, and serves as an official judge for The Diana Award, the Queen’s Commonwealth Writing Competition, and various international innovation competitions.
Liam’s global recognition stems from this extensive portfolio of impact. He is recognised as a 2025 Sustainable Development Influential Youth Under 35 and a Wiki Impact 100 Changemaker. He is a Max Thabiso Edkins Youth Ambassador supported by the World Bank Group and is honoured to be selected for the Climate Catalysts Programme and as a grantee for the Sustainable Tourism Programme, both sponsored by UNDP and Microsoft. He was recently honoured with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust (QECT) 100 Young Leaders Award, and notably stands as the sole Malaysian recipient of the 2024 Diana Award.
