John Connor Award

In the spirit of John Connor we honor the pre-teens and teenagers of all genders who have taken action “beyond their years” to protect themselves and others.

John Connor Award *NEW* | Athletic John Connor Award *NEW*

Historic John Connor Award

The Anti-Nazi Jazz Gangs of Germany

15 Year-old Zinaida Portnova Joined the “Young Avengers” to Fight Occupying Nazis, Until Her Capture, Torture and Execution a Month Before Her 18th Birthday

Teenager Sisters Freddie and Truus Oversteegen Joined the Dutch Resistance, Trained as Fighters and Lured Nazis into Woods to Assassinate

Posthumous John Connor Award

10 Year-old Was Hit and Killed by Runaway Vehicle When She Pushed Two Toddlers Out of Harm’s Way

17 Year-old Rebecca Townsend Was Hit and Killed by a Car While Saving Her Friend’s Life

19 Year-old Miguel Ángel Palacios Was Murdered While He Was Saving a Dog

14 Year-old Aitazaz Hassan Bangash Died Tackling a Suicide Bomber Saving Other Students

8 Year-old Tyler Doohan Lost His Life Attempting to Save Family Member from Fire

John Connor Award

16 Year-old Wrestler Canaan Bower Stopped an Attempted Kidnapping *NEW*

Unnamed Teen Rushed to Pull Down Nazi Flag That a Nazi Unfurled at a Bernie Sanders Rally *NEW*

5 Year-Old Noah Woods Got His 2 Year-Old Sister Out of their Burning Room, Went Back for their Dog then Alerted his Uncle to Get Rest of Family Out *NEW*

Christopher Johnson (age 14), Frank Johnson (age 8), Ethan Camille (age 7) and Trey Camille (age 2) Survived 24 Hours Lost in Snowstorm, Due to the Older Boys Surrounding the Youngest to Share Warmth

18 year-old Caleb and 19 year-old Micah Rescued 20 Koala on Kangaroo Island in Their Car

17 Year-Old Cheerleader Tyra Winters Jumped from Parade Float to Save Choking Toddler

11 Year-Old Mari Copeny, Little Miss Flint, Fighting for Her City’s Water Supply to be Cleaned Since She was 8

16 year-old Isra Hirsi is Fighting the Climate Crisis and Racial Injustice

15 Year-Old Autumn Peltier is a Water Warrior Fighting for Clean Water for All

11 Year-Old Girl Demanded Classmates Not Perform Nazi Salute Despite Bullying and Teacher Reprimands, School Eventually Rethinks doing Hitler Reenactment

16 Year-Old Lucie Myslíková Faced Off with a Neo-Nazi at a Rally in the Czech Republic

15 Year-Old Simone Stood-Up Against Fascist Trying to Incite Violence Against Roma

Keppler Neighborhood School Boys’ Volleyball Team Stopped Woman from Committing Suicide

17 Year-Old “Egg Boy” Smashed Egg on Head of Islamophobic Politician Spouting Victim-Blaming Hate after Mosque Shooting

16 Year-Old Kylie Hunts-in-Winter Teaches Other Indigenous Kids Self-Defense

16-Year-old Greta Thunberg is Challenging World Leaders to Act to Stop Climate Change, Even as It Becomes Too Late

12 Year-Old Reporter Hilde Lysiak Stood Up to Cop Who Threatened Her with Nonexistent Laws

5th-Grader Used Her Bag of Candy to Escape Would-be Abductor

13 Year-Old Jayme Closs Escaped from Man Who Murdered Her Parents and Kidnapped Her

17 Year-Old Alex Gabriel Rescued Dog from Burning Vehicle

9 Year-Old Harper Nielsen Made a Lone Protest Against the Australian National Anthem for Not Acknowledging Indigenous Culture

Years After Helping is Father Save a Toddler Shot in Syria, 18 Year-Old Khalid Tabateb Saved Another Toddler from a Roof Top in Canada

At 16, Sex-Traffic Victim Cyntoia Brown, Shot an Adult Man Who She Believed was Going to Kill Her, She was Arrested and Sentenced To Life for Murder *UPDATE* Clemency was Granted 1/7/2019

Palestinian Activist Ahed Tamimi, 16 Years-Old at Time of Arrest, Was Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison for Slapping Armed Israeli Soldier

Devonte Cafferkey, 13, Sammy Farah, 14, and Shawn Young, 12 Stopped Man from Jumping Off Bridge (See also Joanne Stammers in Honorary Degrees)

9 Year-Old Colbi Heard Saved Drowning 3 Year-Old Boy

Catman 5 Year-Old Catman, AKA Shon Griffin, Saves Stray Cats

14 Year-Old Mike Assi Ran Back To His Burning House to Save His Dog

8 Year-Old Jordan Jackson was Severely injured Defending Himself and 4 Year-Old Sister from a Group of Racist Bullies

10 Year-Old Girl Fought Off Kidnapper and Escaped

7 Year-Old Girl Kicked Kidnapper and Escaped

4 Year-Old Aiden Found Baby Loggerhead Turtles Trapped in Storm Drain

12 Year-Old Boy Blocked March of Around 11,000 Anti-Gay Protesters

9 Year-Old Jhia Morrison Jumped Into Stream to Rescue Cat Thrown Off Bridge

Teenagers Taylor Calendar, Jeffrey Harmon and Fernando Ipinn Found Toddler Missing in Woods

9 Year-Old Aiden Fought Off Kidnapper and Jumped From Vehicle to Escape

5 Year-Old Lennon Knox Was Bitten Saving His Dog Sunshine From a Rattlesnake

8 Year-Old Used Her Kung Fu Training to Thwart an Intruder Who Tried to Abduct Her

8 Year-Old Eve Bligh Bought Food with Her Communion Money to Hand Out to the Homeless

13 Year-old Jake Found Missing Dog Wyatt and Rescued Him from Concrete Pit

12 Year-old Wisdom Bass-Robinson and 13 Year-old Btin Spears Saved 5 Year-old Girl from Drowning

Along with Numerous Young People fighting Dakota Access Pipeline, We also Give Thanks to the Native Youth Runners from and to Standing Rock Bringing Awareness Across the Country

9 Year-old Nathan Thomson Tackled His Mother’s Attacker

Four Young Boys, Kenny, Kenneth, Kevin and Andrew, Saved a Dog They Found Tied Up n Bungee Cords

At 12 Years-old Theland Kicknosway Made His Second of Several Planned Runs to Raise Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

16 Year-old Macon Martin Drove a Utility Vehicle Through Door of Burning Barn to Save Trapped Clydesdales

14 Year-old Bresha Meadows Shot and Killed Her Abusive Father to Defend Herself and Her Mother, Turned 15 in Jail on Charges of Murder

Through Her Teen Years Balkissa Chaibou Battled Against a Forced Marriage, Even Facing Threat of Murder, Before Gaining Her Freedom

5 Year-old Chloe Woods Lead Her Blind Grandmother and Dog from Burning House

5 Year-old Nathaniel Stocks Saved His Grandmother From a House Fire

Girl Saved Her 2 Year-old Sister from a Kidnapper

11 Year-old Nana Singh Saved Her Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

14 Year-old Andrew Mason Defended his Younger Brothers from Home Invasion

9 Year-old Cienna Lukegord and 11 Year-old Kristen Winslow Jumped Fence and Chased Down Stranger Who Abducted Cienna’s 6 Year-old Sister

After Being Bit by a Shark, 10 Year-old Kaley Szarmack Went Back to Get 6 Year-old Out of the Water

17 Year-old Malyk Bonnet Rescued Kidnapped Woman by Pretending to Befriend Kidnapper

The Unofficial Lord Mayor of Ballymum, 16 year-old Jamie Harrington, Asked a Man Sitting on a Bridge Ledge “Are you okay?” and Saved the Man’s Life

5 year-old Lexi Shymanski Climbed 40-foot Cliff Barefoot To Flag Down Help to Save Mother and Brother After Car Crash

12 year-old Lucas Hobbs Used His Make-A-Wish for a Food Truck to Feed The Hungry

18 year-old Lena Strickling Used Her Make-A-Wish to Share Her Story To Help Other Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence Batman

5 year-old Batman, AKA Zavi Ahmed, Crawled Into Car to Rescue Infant

16 year-old Autumn Veatch Survived Plane Crash Which Killed Her Grandparents and Found Her Way Out of the Wilderness

Teenager Dragged Her Harasser into Police Station and Thrashes Him Until He Apologized

12 year-old Matthew Guarino Saved a Man Who Was Overdosing, As Well as the Baby With the Man

7 year-old Zea Calmly Stood Up to Screaming Homophobic “Preacher”

16 year-old Owen Richards Helped Wounded Woman After Seeing Three of His Family Members Killed in Tunisia Massacre

15 year-old Paperboy Nathan Dunsire Listened to a Cat and Saved the Cat’s Person (cat has been awarded Max’s First Line of Defense Hero Award)

14 year-old Hadiqa Bashir Fights Against Child Marriage in Pakistan

13 year-old Fought Off Attacker Who Forced His Way Into Her House

7 year-old Alexis Goggins Was Short 6 Times Protecting Her Mother

13 year-old Girl Escaped Kidnapping by Kicking Attacker in the Groin

8 year-old Delicia Wright and 10 year-old Brendan Wright Chased after Man Who Kidnapped their 22 month old Brother, Teenagers Andrew Crane and Isaac Yow Joined Pursuit

15 year-old Girl Escapes Kidnapping Attempt by Kicking Attacker in the Shin

10 year-old Boy Rescued Clung to a Moving Car to Rescue His Sister from a Kidnapper

11 year-old Girl Fought Off and Escaped Attempted Abduction, Gave Detailed Description of Attacker and Vehicle

15 year-old Girl Punched Boy in Face When He Assaulted Her by “Twanging” Her Bra Strap Until It Came Undone After She Was Refused Help form Teacher (See Honorary Degrees for her mom)

11 year-old Reese, Home Alone, Scared Off Burglars with Shotgun

9 year-old Savannah and Samantha and 11 year-old Sydney Rescued Their 81 year-old Neighbor Who Fell in Freezing Temperatures

Two Girls Helped Catch a Sexual Predator with Their Lemonade Stand

3 year-old Kidnapped in Stolen Car Aids Police In His Rescue

17 year-old Jamal Rutledge Saved the Life of the Police Officer Booking Him

12 year-old Malachi Walo Got His Saved His Siblings From a House Fire

17 year-old Wyatt Stueven Saw a Barn Fire and Stopped to Rescue Ho rses

15 year-old Madison Wallraf Ran Into Burning Barn to Save 25 Horses

12 and 13 year-old Girl Scouts Chased Down Cookie Thieves

9 year-old Grant Snodgrass crawled into storm drain to rescue neighbor’s dog

14 year-old Latrell McCockran saved a disabled neighbor and his dog from a fire

11 year-old Girl Shot a Man who was Stabbing Her Mother

12 year-old Elizabeth Mahan Saved Her Two Brothers and Their Dog From a House Fire

Twelve Teenage Girls from Around the World Speaking Out for Social Justice

13 year-old Ashol Pan Carries on the Traditionally Male Practice of Berkutchy (Hunting with Eagles)

11 year-old J’Nay Bailey Shielded Younger Kids from Gunfire

11 year-old Alyssa Gutierrez Scared Off Armed Teen Burglars by Loading Rifle

9 year-old Eileen Parkman Stood Up to Group of Boys Bullying and Beating an Autistic Schoolmate

12 year-old Marilyn Wildflower Told Gun Carrying Pedophile That He Wasn’t Allowed to Touch Her or Her Sister and To Leave and He Did

5 year-old Jayden Fights WBC’s Hate with Pink Lemonade

13 year-old Marisa Martinez Saved Boy From Abduction by Sex Offender

4 year-old Aryanna Rath Pulled Her 2 year-old Sister from Car Crash That Killed Their Mother

Oklahoma Girl, 12, Shoots Home Intruder

Three Girls, 12, 9 and 7 Fight Off Abductor

11 year-old, Armed with Curtain Rod Saved Family From Three Armed Men

7 year-old Brittany Baxter Escaped Kidnap Attempt

12 year-old Nicole Kissel Saved Drowning 12-year-old Boy

9 year-old Anaiah Rucker risked life to save her 5 year-old sister from oncoming pick up

Home-alone 12 year-old Georgia Bulis-Gray Not a “Helpless Little Girl” Kicks Burglar

7 years-old, Drove Little Brother to Safety

Deer fawn held out of water by Belal 10 year-old used a stick to fight off a would-be abductor

16 year-old martial artist Roman Rodriguez defended young boy from bully

Five teenagers save severely injured dog on in remote area.

Belal risked his life to save a baby deer from drowning in flooded river.

13 year-old McKinley Johnson Saved his Grandmother from their Burning House

8 year-old Jonathan Bent Warned Other Residents of Fast Moving Fire

8 year-old Jacob Soliz-Amaya Fought Off Woman Who Tried to Kill Him

The Three Kids who Followed the Kidnapper of their Six Year-old Sister and Friend and Alerted the Molester’s Neighbors

Teens Temar Boggs and Chris Garcia Rescued 5 year-old Kidnap Victim

13 year-old Briar MacLean Tackled Knife-Weilding Bully to Defend Another Student

16 year-old Levi Sadler Saved His Dog Daisy From a Cougar

Group of High School Students in Queensland Rescue Pony Trapped in Mud, One Boy Swimming Pony to Safety

Raul Kutliahmetov, 7, Attempted to Save Trapped Dog from 10 ft. Shaft They Keep Each Other Live for 3 Days (See Max’s First Line of Defense Heroes)

James Persyn, 14, Used a Knife to Defend a Rape Victim and His Siblings from the Rapist

Athletic John Connor Award

Heaven Fitch Became the First Female Wrestler to NC State Wrestling Championship (Competing Against Boys) *NEW*

9 Year-Old Kade Lovell Took Wrong Turn in 5K Race, Accidentally Won Adult 10K

12 Year-Old Jada Kenner Broke World Record for 300-Meter Dash

Bekah Irwin has won 3 IFMA Youth World Championships

13 year-old Malavath Poorna Became Youngest Climber to Scale Mount Everest

Nairobi Boxgirls Overcome Poverty, Restrictive Gender Roles and Low Self-Esteem by Learning to Box (and other life skills)

16 year old Jessica Watson Sails Solo Around the World
And 16 Abby Sutherland might not have made her trip but survived what many adult sailors couldn’t

All photos on this page are linked to source sites