2025 WOWA Winners
Sustainability & Overall Award
Anne-Shirley Korave
Anne-Shirley transformed women's health across Papua New Guinea through her groundbreaking Queenpads initiative, providing eco-friendly, reusable sanitary pads to remote communities where menstrual hygiene products were previously unknown, reaching isolated villages and breaking cultural taboos while improving health outcomes. Her visionary leadership extends beyond women's health. During COVID-19, she founded OrgConnect to connect farmers with customers, demonstrating her commitment to community resilience and sustainable development. With support from major organisations including CPL, Sir Brian Bell Foundation and Westpac PNG, Anne-Shirley exemplifies how true leadership combines innovation, compassion and dedication to uplifting those furthest behind.
Entrepreneur Award
Violet Bukon
Violet transformed her passion for cooking into the eatery catering and cakes now serving major corporate clients in Lae, Morobe Province while empowering over 20 underprivileged youths with valuable culinary skills and creating meaningful opportunities for women.
Not-for-Profit Award
Delsie Casper Nick
Since 2017, Ms. Delsie Casper Nick has empowered over 100 women, girls, and individuals with disabilities through her leadership of two community organisations in Enga Province. Her transformative work includes establishing the Sirunki Disability Care Centre, which now supports 87 individuals and serves as a model for inclusive community care across Papua New Guinea.
Private Sector Award
Raka Numa Raula
As Company Secretary of Comrade Trustee Services Limited, Raka has driven transformative governance reforms while championing board diversity and inclusive leadership practices in Papua New Guinea's superannuation sector. Through her dual roles as incoming Division Director for Toastmasters PNG and Fiji and Vice President of the PNG Women Lawyers Association, she has mentored emerging leaders and created tailored programs that advance women in law and public life.
Public Sector Award
Dr Pamela Toliman
Dr. Pamela's groundbreaking research into point-of-care HPV testing established Papua New Guinea's first National Cervical Cancer Screening Program, delivering same-day results and life-saving treatment to women in remote areas. With over 20 years as Deputy Head of the Surveillance and Outbreaks Unit at PNG Institute of Medical Research, she has transformed national health policy across HIV, STIs, and infectious disease surveillance while influencing health systems throughout the Pacific region.
Sports & Arts Award
Rutha–Meu Omenefa
Rutha-Meu made history as a rugby league development coach when her U18 Girls team at PNG NRLBID Academy reached the 2025 Grand Final, challenging gender norms and inspiring women to pursue coaching roles. Beyond her coaching achievements, she co-facilitated the ChildFund Rugby Grassroots to Global Forum that empowered 21 young women across PNG to become sport leaders while advocating for gender-based violence prevention and community health awareness.
Young Acheiver Award
Julie Rereve
Young Julie has revolutionised Bougainville's cocoa industry as a Research Technical Officer, pioneering value-added innovations that earned her team a Gold Medal at the 2021 World Chocolate Championship in Paris while leading a community organisation that supports over 250 farmers and distributed 20,000 cocoa clones. Through securing K372,000 in grants and increasing household incomes by 70%, she has proven that young women can drive agricultural innovation, economic transformation and sustainable development across Papua New Guinea.