Greta Thunberg has been named as the first recipient of the Game Changer Of The Year Award at GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2019 (Picture: PA

Teenage activist Greta Thunberg has become the first person to receive a GQ Men Of The Year award specifically created to celebrate her work on the global climate crisis.

Swedish schoolgirl Greta, 16, graces the cover of the latest issue of GQ ahead of winning the Game Changer of the Year Award in September.

She has encouraged students across the world to skip school and call for action from world leaders.

Greta – who is taking a year off school to raise awareness of climate change – said she would be accepting the award on behalf of every school child who joined the ‘Fridays for Future’ movement.




The new gong ‘recognises Thunberg’s dedication to raising global awareness of climate change’ GQ said.

The cover of the October British GQ featuring Greta Thunberg (Picture: PA)

The Swedish climate activist met UK party leaders at the House of Commons in Westminster in April (Picture: PA)

Magazine editor Dylan Jones said: ‘The Game Changer Award was created for Greta Thunberg.

‘Her fearless dedication to raising awareness of the global climate change crisis makes her the absolute embodiment of this award and on behalf of GQ we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate her.’

The long-running awards ceremony, this year hosted by Michael Sheen, celebrates men and women in style, politics, entertainment and sport.

Greta, who will receive the award via a video link, said: ‘I am very grateful and this award is for everyone in the Fridays For Future movement, everyone whose school is striking for the climate.

‘We all deserve this award because together we have accomplished so much. So thank you to everyone who has been school striking as well.’

In her cover interview, the Nobel Peace Prize nominee discusses Donald Trump’s 2017 decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.

Greta is responsible for starting the global school strikes for climate movement (Picture: Getty)

Schoolchildren taking part in a climate strike in Brighton in February (Picture: Getty)

She said: ‘I don’t think I would say anything to him, because he’s obviously not listening to the science and the scientists and the experts.

‘So what could I say to change his mind? I would say that we need a movement to do this together, because one person can’t change his mind.

‘We need to do that together.’

Greta is set to attend the UN climate summit in New York in September, travelling by racing yacht and avoiding planes as well as polluting cruise ships.

She will receive the first Game Changer Of The Year Award at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2019 on September 3, in association with Hugo Boss.

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