Vivian Liu
Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes 2025 Winner ($10,000), recognized at age 16 for co-founding Origami For Good and scaling it to 200+ chapters across 50+ countries — Barron Prize winners list (2025).
What they built
Co-founded Origami For Good (OFG) at age 15 — a youth-led international 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates and distributes handmade origami pieces with inspirational messages to hospitals, nursing homes, military centers, and children's facilities worldwide. Inspired by origami her grandmother taught her in childhood, and by witnessing lonely elderly residents during nursing home volunteering, she built OFG to combat social isolation and support mental wellness through creativity and human connection. The organization has grown to 200+ chapters across 50+ countries, with 7,000+ volunteers distributing over 825,000 origami pieces, partnerships with Krispy Kreme and Panda Express, and official recognition from the City of Houston following her TEDxThirdWard talk. OFG is PVSA-certified and awards thousands of service hours annually to its young volunteers.
View ProjectThe F18 Thesis
Verified track record
- Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes 2025 Winner (age 16, $10,000 award) (source)
- KHOU TV Houston — local news feature (source)
- KDAF TV CW33 Dallas — teens recognized for heroic service (source)
- CBS TV National (Visioneers with Zay Harding) — 09/30/2025
- Katy Times — 'Local student organizes global effort to deliver positive messages through origami' (source)
- Texas State Board of Education 2025 Student Heroes recognition (source)
- TEDxThirdWard Houston talk (March 2025) (source)
- Bold Journey Magazine profile (source)
- CanvasRebel Magazine interview (source)
- Origami For Good official org (source)