Meet The Three Ukrainian EMA Generation Change Recipients

The 2022 MTV EMA show is only three nights away, and the ceremony will highlight the musical and visual ​​achievements of many artists around the world. But in addition to those trophies and exciting live performances, the show will present the MTV EMA Generation Change Award to three Ukrainian changemakers for their ongoing work in the care and shelter of those impacted by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Selected in partnership with the philanthropic organization Choose Love, the three honorees — Lina Deshvar, Anna Kutova, and Anfisa Yankovina — will be awarded for providing safety for refugees; evacuating and caring for families raising children, adolescents and young people with disabilities; providing art and group therapy for women and families who have been separated from their loved ones; and more.

Deshvar currently works with the nonprofit Ukrainian organization Seeing with the Heart, an organization that develops projects for socializing children, teens, and young people with complex developmental disorders, according to a release. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deshvar visited military hospitals and delivered humanitarian aid to families with children navigating developmental or physical disabilities and those in difficult life circumstances.

Kutova, meanwhile, volunteered in a shelter after witnessing the Russian occupation of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in 2017. This year, she has worked with the Ukrainian Light of Hope charitable organization to open five shelters for over 400 displaced people, LGBTQ+ people, women suffering from addiction, people living with HIV, and more.

Yakovina, a psychologist at the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, works to promote the rights of migrants in Poland and practices prenatal psychology, which includes support for parents-to-be during pregnancy, labor, and after childbirth.  She also teaches childbirth preparation classes for refugees, organizes support groups for moms of newborns from Ukraine, counsels and delivers psychological aid for refugees, and leads support groups for fleeing Ukrainian mothers who are struggling to adjust to life in Poland with young children, or families who have been separated from loved ones.

The MTV EMA launched the Generation Change Award in 2018 to recognize “fearless, original young people who are tackling the world’s toughest problems through music, storytelling or digital media,” according to a release. Find more info on the award here.

Harry Styles leads this year’s EMA nominations with seven nods, including Best Artist, Best Song, and Best Video. Taylor Swift follows behind with six noms, and she also earned one for the brand new Best Longform Video category. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj and Rosalía each earned five noms, both competing for Best Song and Best Artist.

Styles, Swift, Rosalía, and German rapper Badmómzjay have also scored nominations for Best Local Act in their respective home regions.

A long lineup of previously announced exciting EMA performances for the big night include Tate McRae, Stormzy, Gayle, OneRepublic, Kalush Orchestra, Spinall, Äyanna, Nasty C, Ava Max, Bebe Rexha, Gorillaz, David Guetta, Lewis Capaldi, and Muse. Presenters slated to hit the stage announcing awards are David Hasselhoff, Leonie Hanne, Lauren Spencer Smith, Julian Lennon, Leomie Anderson, and Sam Ryder.

This year’s ceremony will be co-hosted by Rita Ora and Taika Waititi and broadcasted live on MTV in more than 170 countries on November 13 from the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV globally beginning November 14. The 2022 event will mark the sixth time Germany has hosted the awards. Find the full list of 2022 EMA noms right here, and head to ema.mtv.com for more info.