As part of The ESPYS, the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award celebrates the legendary sports icon’s commitment to leadership and service, and honors high school and college-age students who, like Billie Jean King, use the power of sports to improve their communities. The Award – which was created in 2019 – will recognize its honorees during the 2026 Sports Humanitarian Awards and The ESPYS.
Kelis Armstrong, 22, Texas
Kelis Armstrong is a recent Howard University graduate, Division I track and field athlete and public health advocate from Dallas who is using sport to advance youth health education, safety and community equity in Washington, D.C. Through Grassroots Health, Run Your City and student-athlete service leadership at Howard, Kelis has used athletics to teach practical health literacy, create safe after-school spaces and mobilize athletes as community leaders. As a Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honoree, she will support her Master of Public Health studies at Columbia University and continue building a broader health and fitness framework for young people in cities facing food deserts and limited safe spaces.
Samuel “Sam” Phillips, 24, California
Sam Phillips is a Black, queer former NCAA gymnast, advocate and full-time staff member at Athlete Ally who is using sport to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion, athlete wellbeing and representation in college athletics. As a student-athlete at the University of Nebraska and University of Illinois, Sam became a visible leader for inclusion by serving as SAAC president, co-founding advocacy spaces for Black and LGBTQ+ athletes and launching Nebraska’s first LGBTQ+ student-athlete group. Through Athlete Ally, he is helping expand athlete-led inclusion work nationwide and will use the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award to strengthen campus chapters, fellowships and storytelling that help athletes succeed without compromising who they are.
Julia Howe, 17, California
Julia Howe is a Team USA triathlete, student-athlete and founder of Hitting The Wall, a youth-led organization advancing health and body education for teen female-identifying athletes. After seeing how competitive sports culture normalized under fueling, missed periods, injury and pressure to push through pain, Julia built a peer-led research and resource platform covering topics including Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, injury prevention, body image, mental health and self-advocacy. Through Hitting The Wall, she has created more than 250 athlete-centered resources and reached more than 15,000 athletes. Julia is carrying forward Billie Jean King’s legacy by using sport as a platform for equity, education, and systemic change, helping girls stay in sport without sacrificing their health to do it.
In addition to the three Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award honorees, the following young people have been named regional recipients:
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Miranda Freedman, 22, Illinois
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Will Gibson, 21, Ohio
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Sarah Brannigan, 20, New York
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Kate Casciato, 16, New York
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Lily Farris, 16, Delaware
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Lucy Henkel, 21, New York
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Harry Honig, 17, New York
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Tanner Oberg, 17, Massachusetts
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Mia Swenson, 22, Rhode Island
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Rohan Anand, 17, Georgia
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Kristen Carney, 24, Florida
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Franceska Colocado, 19, Texas
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Leah Croom, 20, Washington, D.C.
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Jett Hatfield, 23, Tennessee
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Graham Hernandez, 17, North Carolina
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Lawson Watt, 17, Virginia
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Muriel Harris, 17, California
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Mia Lerner, 17, California
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Lillie Vehling, 21, California
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Ryan Wang, 17, California