Jury

María López was born in Bogota, Colombia. She is a journalist, writer and social entrepreneur. Her career has been linked to journalism, the promotion of culture as a development driver, working with vulnerable communities and the protection of the environment. She is the cofounder of Detonante, an innovation and environmental company that develops impact strategies in LATAM using creativity and culture as a tool for transformation. For 15 years she worked at Grupo Semana, in different roles like Group President, Content VP and Sustainability Management. She created the Semana Foundation in 2009, which has for 10 years focused its work in building sustainable and inclusive models of development in post conflict zones to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2010 she founded Semana Sostenible, the first magazine dedicated to sustainability in Colombia. In 2021 she published together with her mother, “Gloria en Colores” a biography of Gloria Valencia de Castaño. She was featured as Young Global Leader in the 2016 World Economic Forum and 2018 Women to Watch from P&M magazine and Adage. Her work as an environmental activist has received many awards, like Amway Award for environmental journalism and Frailejón de Oro, from Fundación Siembra. She is the mum of Felipe and Pedro.