CIBC Caribbean boosts prize money as it searches for Unsung Heroes

CIBC Caribbean has launched the second year of its Unsung Heroes programme, reopening nominations across its 10-territory regional footprint and significantly raising the financial stakes for this year's winners. The programme — officially relaunched in 2025 after a decade-long hiatus — is returning on the strength of a well-received debut that attracted 39 nominees from across the region.

The 2026 regional winner will take home US$10,000, double last year's top prize, while the first and second runners-up will receive US$7,000 and US$5,000 respectively — up sharply from US$3,000 and US$1,500 in 2025. In a new addition this year, the person who nominates the eventual regional winner will also receive US$1,000.

The competition is open to Caribbean residents aged 10 and over, with nominations accepted in two categories: sustained community service, or a single act of heroism, bravery, or extraordinary kindness carried out within the past year. Nominations close at the end of July 2026, with national winners to be announced in August before advancing to the regional stage. A final awards ceremony is scheduled for Barbados in September 2026.

The programme is sponsored by the CIBC Caribbean ComTrust Foundation and judged by an independent panel that includes former Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham, retired Child Care Board Deputy Director Denise Nurse, broadcaster Pearson Bowen, Substance Abuse Foundation CEO Marietta Carrington, and Salvation Army Divisional Commander Major Robert Pyle.

• Programme spans 10 Caribbean territories • Regional top prize doubled to US$10,000 for 2026 • First runner-up receives US$7,000 (up from US$3,000); second runner-up US$5,000 (up from US$1,500) • New US$1,000 prize introduced for the nominator of the regional winner • 39 nominees participated in the 2025 relaunch edition • Open to residents aged 10 and over in two nomination categories • Nominations close end of July 2026; national winners announced August; regional ceremony in Barbados, September 2026 • Judging panel includes former Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham and other senior public and private sector figures

The numbers tell part of the story: the 2026 regional prize pool has more than doubled compared to last year, with the top award rising from US$5,000 to US$10,000, first runner-up climbing from US$3,000 to US$7,000, and second runner-up jumping from US$1,500 to US$5,000. 

A new US$1,000 nominator's prize adds another layer of community incentive. But the deeper impact is what the 2025 edition already demonstrated — 39 nominees surfaced from across 10 territories, representing work that spans youth development, elder care, prison rehabilitation, environmental advocacy, and feeding the terminally ill. 

These are contributions that government programmes routinely miss and corporate agendas rarely fund. For Caribbean communities quietly held together by individuals like Lucinda Smith, Venetta Zakers, and Joshuanette Francis, recognition at this scale — financial and public — is not ceremonial. It is corrective.

Predictions: • Nomination volume will exceed 2025's 39 submissions given expanded prize money and regional awareness from year one • The nominator's prize will meaningfully increase community-led submissions, particularly from smaller territories • At least one 2026 winner will come from a territory not represented in the 2025 top three

Viewpoint: Doubling the regional top prize to US$10,000 and tripling the first runner-up award — from US$3,000 to US$7,000 — is the kind of material commitment that separates performative CSR from the real thing. CEO Mark St. Hill's framing is telling: the work of community heroes is "immeasurable," but CIBC Caribbean still chose to measure it upward. The new US$1,000 nominator's prize is the smartest addition — it turns every Caribbean resident into a talent scout, decentralising discovery in a region where word-of-mouth still travels fastest.

Viewpoint: Look at who won in 2025. Lucinda 'Mini' Smith has spent decades feeding terminally ill neighbours in the BVI — at no cost to them. Venetta Zakers built Entrepreneurship Behind Bars, giving female prison inmates in St. Kitts real business skills for life after release. Joshuanette Francis of Antigua, diagnosed with osteoarthritis at 24, founded a nonprofit bridging disability advocacy, climate justice and youth empowerment. These are not edge cases. They are the connective tissue of Caribbean society — and they were largely invisible before this programme.

Viewpoint: Thirty-nine nominees from 10 territories in year one proved appetite exists across the full Caribbean. The credibility of an independent panel anchored by former Chief Justice Sir Patterson Cheltenham matters — but so does the September ceremony venue. With Barbados hosting the finals again, smaller territories will be watching closely to see whether 2026 produces a more geographically diverse podium.