FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, October 12, 2026
Turtle Mountain – Today, Leonard Peltier has received the 2026 International Ethecon Blue Planet Award.
“The International Ethecon Blue Planet Award 2026 will go to Leonard Peltier, who has never stopped fighting for Indigenous people – before and during his nearly five decades of wrongful incarceration, and still today,” said Nick Tilsen, Founder and CEO of NDN Collective. “It’s fitting that Leonard is receiving this honor on October 12 – the International Day of Indigenous Resistance – while the Indigenous Peoples’ Day rally and celebration is in full swing in the He Sapa, and on the premiere of the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier” on Netflix.”
The Ethecon Foundation, a German non-profit organization dedicated to environmental protection, human rights, social justice, and ethical business practices, presents the International Ethecon Blue Planet Award annually. Since 2006, the International Ethecon Blue Planet Award has recognized individuals’ commitment to protecting the Earth.
Leonard Peltier is being honored with the award for his lifelong resistance against oppression, exploitation, and environmental destruction; his commitment to the cultural identity and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples; and his dedication to justice.
“Ethecon sees in the actions of Leonard Peltier, the political prisoner and activist for the protection of the First Nations, an outstanding ‘guardian’ of our ‘Blue Planet’ against ruin and destruction,” said Ethecon Board Chairman Axel Köhler-Schnura.
An award ceremony will be held in December 2026.
Building on five decades of organizing to free Peltier, NDN Collective ran a robust, comprehensive campaign between 2022 and 2025 to secure Leonard’s release. The group’s strategy included direct actions, marches, rallies, and caravans; lobbying President Biden and members of Congress; various legal strategies; and advocacy and narrative efforts.
NDN Collective continues to support Leonard and cover his ongoing medical expenses. Donations can be made to ndnco.cc/donate.
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NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building, and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.
