IDB Group Names Six Finalists for Superheroes of Development 2026

The finalists represent a diverse range of sectors, including digital inclusion, education, Amazonian resilience, and energy infrastructure. Rather than celebrating only finished products, the award honors the agility required to pivot when initial plans fail. For instance, a Paraguayan initiative supported by IDB Lab transformed a low initial engagement rate into a successful model for youth digital inclusion, while a Belizean education project leveraged pandemic-era constraints to shrink gender-based learning gaps.

In Colombia, the focus shifted to connectivity, where an IDB Invest-backed program deployed 4G access to over 1,200 rural towns. Meanwhile, Bolivia’s Pando Verde project demonstrates the necessity of adaptive management in environmentally sensitive Amazonian regions. These projects, alongside infrastructure improvements at Costa Rica’s Paquera Port and a large-scale liquefied natural gas project in El Salvador, emphasize that development effectiveness relies on learning from operational friction.

The teams will present their case studies in Washington on October 6. Former Argentine soccer player Javier Zanetti will join the ceremony, reflecting the program’s current emphasis on teamwork and adaptability. Beyond the trophies, the IDB Group intends to circulate these findings as a practical playbook for future development work, ensuring that lessons learned in one country become institutional knowledge for the entire region.