Nominations Are Now Open for the Most Impactful African Bitcoiners 2026
Think of the person in your community who built something real with Bitcoin this year. Now put their name forward before 30th October.
In Mossel Bay, South Africa, people buy groceries with sats. In Kibera, Nairobi, over 200 merchants accept Bitcoin for food, water and even washroom visits. In Goma, a university is building a blockchain and AI centre. In Burundi, a village now has its first Bitcoin circular economy.
None of this happened because of a price chart. People did it, mostly without much attention, and mostly because nobody asked them to.
The Most Impactful African Bitcoiners (MIAB) 2026 nominations opened on 13th October. They close on 30th October. This is your chance to tell us who deserves to be seen.
What The Most Impactful African Bitcoiners Award (MIAB) is, and why we run it
Most Impactful African Bitcoiners Award (MIAB) is our yearly recognition of the people moving Bitcoin forward on the continent. We started it because Africa’s Bitcoin story is usually told from the outside, by people who visit for a conference and leave. The people doing the daily work rarely get named.
The format has been simple. Communities nominate. Our team researches the work. The 2024 list also had a council vote. We look at what someone actually did in the year, not how loud they were online. The question we ask is: what did this person build, teach or change, and who is better off because of it?
Seven categories for 2026
This year MIAB grows. Alongside the 21 Most Impactful African Bitcoiners, we are adding six categories that recognize work as well as people:
- African Bitcoin Project of the Year
- African Bitcoin Mining Project of the Year
- African Bitcoin Circular Economy of the Year
- African Bitcoin Education Project of the Year
- African Bitcoin Developer of the Year
- African Bitcoin Media Initiative of the Year
Why the change? Because some of the most important work in Africa is done by teams, not individuals. A circular economy is one example. It might have a founder, but it runs because a dozen merchants, a few teachers and a community all show up. We want a way to honor that.
How to write a nomination that counts
A strong nomination doesn’t need fancy words. It needs specifics.
- Say what they did in the past year. “Taught 100 people to self-custody” tells us more than “is very passionate.”
- Give numbers where you have them. Merchants onboarded, students trained, code merged, hours of content made.
- Tell us who it helped. A village, a school, a developer community, a group of women.
- Include a link or proof. A project page, a post, a repository, a photo of the meetup.
Don’t skip the quiet ones. The person who runs a meetup in a small town for two years, or translates guides at night, is exactly who MIAB exists for. If you rely on someone’s work and have never thanked them, this is a good way to do it.
Individuals, communities and organizations can all nominate.
Dates and how to nominate
- Nominations opened: 13th October 2026
- Nominations close: 30th October 2026
- Nominate here
After the deadline, we review every nomination as part of the MIAB 2026 selection process.
In Closing
If you run a Bitcoin community, share this with your members. More nominations from more places gives us a fairer picture of who is moving Bitcoin forward in Africa. If you lead a company or organization that wants to support the awards, get in touch with us at sarahwhite@bitcoiners.africa.
But I have read the MIAB lists closely, year after year, and every time I come away with the same thought: the people on them are building this continent’s Bitcoin future now, quietly and well. The least we can do is say their names out loud.
Who will you nominate?