Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Breanna Cutright of Clarksburg, West Virginia, as 2026 National Youth Advocate of the Year

May 06, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Breanna Cutright, 18, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, has been named the Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Breanna will be honored for her leadership in the fight against tobacco on May 7, 2026, at Tobacco-Free Kids' 2026 Youth Advocates of the Year Awards in Washington D.C.

Breanna became an advocate in middle school, motivated by concern over rising e-cigarette use among her peers and shaped by personal experience supporting her grandfather in quitting smoking. As an ambassador for Raze, West Virginia's youth-led tobacco prevention program, she educated peers and supported prevention efforts across a state with high tobacco use rates.

When federal funding cuts forced Raze to close in 2025, Breanna emerged as a leading voice for funding tobacco prevention programs - earning national and state media coverage and authoring an op-ed in West Virginia's largest newspaper. At both the federal and state levels, Breanna has been a powerful advocate - speaking at a congressional briefing, meeting with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, training fellow youth advocates, helping lead a statewide rally at the State Capitol in Charleston, and engaging lawmakers. Her efforts contributed to enactment of legislation allocating $2.9 million from West Virginia's Juul settlement to tobacco prevention programs.

"We are thrilled to honor Breanna Cutright as our Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year," said Yolonda C. Richardson, President & CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Breanna has demonstrated great courage and creativity in advocating for tobacco prevention in West Virginia and in the halls of Congress. She represents a new generation helping to create a healthier future for all of us."

The National Youth Advocate of the Year Award is named after the late Barrie Fiske, a tireless champion for the right to breathe smoke-free air and a longtime member of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Board of Directors. She will be honored on May 7 along with other youth advocates and public health leaders from the United States and around the world.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 490,000 Americans and costing the nation over $241 billion in tobacco-related health care costs each year. In West Virginia, tobacco use claims 4,300 lives annually and costs nearly $1.2 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 6.7% of West Virginia high school students smoke cigarettes and 27% use e-cigarettes.