WYCLEF JEAN AND NIGEL BARKER TO BE HONORED AT THE 2026 PLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION IMPACT AWARDS

(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) A Night of Celebration and Global Philanthropy Featuring Powerful Live Performances and the Debut of Voices for Change: A Global Youth Choir for Peace

Miami, March 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) is proud to announce the 2026 Impact Awards, an unforgettable evening celebrating music, philanthropy, and the power of positive change. Taking place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Rubell Museum in Miami, the Foundation's largest annual fundraiser will honor Grammy Award-winning artist and global activist Wyclef Jean with the Impact Award and acclaimed photographer and humanitarian Nigel Barker with the Foundation's inaugural Visual Impact Award.

Wyclef Jean will be honored for his decades-long commitment to humanitarian work and global youth empowerment through music, education, and innovation. Beyond his founding of Yéle Haiti, Jean has actively supported music education initiatives in U.S. public schools through partnerships with organizations like Music Will, helped provide instruments and launch new programs for underserved students, and championed youth innovation through international collaborations including FIRST Global and robotics education initiatives in Haiti. Across his philanthropy, Jean continues to leverage music and creativity as tools to expand opportunity, inspire leadership, and empower the next generation worldwide.

“Music has always been my way of connecting people to hope and to each other,” said Jean.“Playing For Change represents the spirit of unity and compassion that the world needs more of, and I'm grateful to be part of a movement that empowers young people to use their voices for peace and progress.”

Nigel Barker will receive the inaugural Visual Impact Award in recognition of his philanthropic work and commitment to using storytelling and visual media to amplify humanitarian causes around the world. The newly established Visual Impact Award recognizes visionary creators beyond music - including photographers, filmmakers, and visual artists - whose work drives cultural awareness and social change. Barker becomes the first honoree in this expanded category. Through his career as a photographer, filmmaker, and advocate, Barker has leveraged his global platform to champion issues including education, conservation, and social justice, helping bring visibility to communities often left unheard.

“I am deeply honored to receive the first Visual Impact Award from the Playing For Change Foundation,” said Barker.“Visual storytelling has the power to move people to empathy and action, and I'm proud to support an organization that understands how art - in all its forms - can help shape a better future.”

This year's gala will embrace the theme 'Copacabana Meets Art Deco,' paying tribute to Miami's centennial and the city's vibrant cultural legacy. The evening will feature powerful live performances from acclaimed artists alongside students from Miami, as part of their partnership programs with Overtown Youth Center and Young Musicians Unite, showcasing the transformative power of music and arts education across communities worldwide.

A centerpiece of the evening will be the live debut and album release celebration of Voices for Change: A Global Youth Choir, a one-of-a-kind collaboration uniting students from Playing For Change programs across the globe. Thirty students will perform live on stage, joined by more than 300 additional youths projected on screens as part of a single global ensemble representing children from Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Nepal, India, Brazil, the United States, and Mexico -coming together in a collective call for peace that will also be featured on an upcoming album.

Co-Chairs for the 2026 Impact Awards include Whitney Kroenke Silverstein and Nick Silverstein, Jessica and Jerry Plush, and Charita and Louis Upkins, with a distinguished Host Committee featuring Randi Wolfson Adamo and Chris Adamo, Casey Cole Ray, Timolin Cole Augustus, Grace and Charlie Heekin, Liza Hinman and Abe Burns, Elizabeth and Jimmy Hutcheson, David Hryck, Ann Kroenke, Karolina Kurkova and Archie Drury, Kelsey Levy and Matt Greer, Erica and Mark Mutchnik, Cristina Perez and Nico MacLean, Linda and Tom Rizk, and Will Waller.

This year's partners, including the title partner Capital One Entertainment, along with Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Jockey, Spin Magazine, Golden Goat Caviar, Perrier-Jouët, and Bacardi, who all reinforce the Foundation's mission of using music to drive meaningful global change.

“Each year, the Impact Awards remind us that music is more than performance - it's a pathway to dignity, opportunity, and connection,” said Whitney Kroenke Silverstein, Co-Founder of Playing For Change Foundation.“By honoring artists like Wyclef and expanding our vision with the Visual Impact Award for Nigel, we are celebrating creativity in all its forms - and the extraordinary ripple effect it can have on young people around the world.”

"Capital One has always believed that music and art have a unique power to connect us. That's why we are proud to continue our support of the Playing For Change Foundation and join them in honoring Wyclef Jean and Nigel Barker at this year's Impact Awards as they both truly embody the spirit of giving back," said Monica Weaver, Head of Branded Card Partnerships and Experiences at Capital One.

Previous Impact Award honorees include Pharrell Williams, Diplo, Ellie Goulding, Maluma, Anitta, Andrea Bocelli, the Marley Family, JUANES, and more-artists whose philanthropy and influence have helped amplify music as a force for global good.

The Playing For Change Foundation's Board of Directors includes Whitney Kroenke Silverstein (Co-Founder & President), Pamela Silva (Vice Chair), Josh Taekman (Secretary), Henry“Hank” Dudgeon III (Treasurer), Steve Blatter, Daniel Bryant, Abe Burns, Charles Heekin, Howard Hoffen, David Hyrck, Ronnie Madra, Jerry Plush, Linda Rizk, John G. Shedd IV, and Louis Upkins, whose leadership and support help guide the organization's global mission to empower youth and strengthen communities through music and arts education.

To learn more about the 2026 Impact Awards and purchase tickets, visit .

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About Playing For Change Foundation
For 19 years, Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) has helped youth rise up through their own culture using music and the arts to create social and economic change in areas that are economically poor, but that hold vast cultural wealth. With 137 locations across 27 countries and growing, the positive impact of PFCF on youth, families, and communities in need is truly extraordinary. We engage more than 800 staff, teachers, and cultural leaders around the world, with program locations in: Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Jordan, Ukraine, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Kumiai territory in Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Argentina and Mapuche Territory, Oglala Lakota Territory and multiple other United States locations like Las Vegas, Santa Ana, California, and Miami.

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Attachments

• Nigel Barker
• Wyclef Jean

CONTACT: Media inquiries: Chloe Gonzalez The Press House...

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