Aurora Prize
The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a humanitarian award founded to memorialize the victims of the Armenian Genocide.[1] The inaugural prize was awarded on April 24, 2016, in Yerevan, Armenia, to Marguerite Barankitse, who provided humanitarian aid during the civil war in Burundi.[2]
This prize was established by 100 LIVES to raise awareness about the atrocities that occur around the globe and to acknowledge the contributions of humanitarians who work in this field. It was launched at an event in New York on 10 March 2015 attended by Selection Committee Co-Chair George Clooney.
The Aurora Prize Laureate is awarded a US $100,000 grant, as well as the opportunity to nominate organizations that inspired his or her work for a US $1,000,000 award.[3]
Co-founders
The Aurora Prize is the vision of Vartan Gregorian, Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanian.[4] The prize was conceived out of a desire "to honor those who risk their own safety because of a heightened sense of humanity and responsibility and support life-saving causes in a tangible way".[5]
Selection Committee
The selection of the finalists and the Aurora Prize Laureate is made by the independent Aurora Prize Selection Committee, which evaluates the nominees based on the following criteria: courage, commitment, and impact. The 2016 Selection Committee included Oscar Arias, George Clooney, Shirin Ebadi, Gareth Evans, Leymah Gbowee, Vartan Gregorian, Hina Jilani, Mary Robinson, and Elie Wiesel. It was chaired by Clooney and Wiesel.[6]
2016 Aurora Prize
The 2016 ceremony took place on 24 April 2016 in Yerevan, Armenia. The four finalists for the inaugural Aurora Prize were:[7][8]
- Marguerite Barankitse, from Maison Shalom and REMA Hospital, who provided humanitarian aid during the civil war in Burundi. Barankitse won the 2016 prize.[2]
- Dr. Tom Catena, the only physician at Mother of Mercy Hospital in Sudan
- Syeda Ghulam Fatima, the General Secretary of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front in Pakistan
- Father Bernard Kinvi, who provided humanitarian aid during the civil war in the Central African Republic
References
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/world/middleeast/finalists-picked-for-new-prize-created-in-memory-of-armenian-genocide.html
- 1 2 Akkoc, Raziye (24 April 2016). "My family fled Ireland as refugees, says George Clooney as he presents $1m prize to humanitarian worker". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/world/middleeast/finalists-picked-for-new-prize-created-in-memory-of-armenian-genocide.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/world/middleeast/finalists-picked-for-new-prize-created-in-memory-of-armenian-genocide.html
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/11724931/1-million-humanitarian-award-opens-for-nominations.html
- ↑ http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/03/armenian-genocide
- ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2016/03/finalists-for-first-ever-aurora-humanitarian-prize.html
- ↑ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/burundi-children-saviour-maggy-barankitse-line-new-1m-humanitarian-award-1549627