Templeton Freedom Awards
The Templeton Freedom Awards have been given by the Atlas Network since 2004 using funding from the John Templeton Foundation. The awards honor work done by free-market think tanks around the world. Each year, two winners are named in each category. Winners receive a cash prize of $100,000.[1]
Categories
Awards are given in the following 8 categories: Solutions to Poverty, Ethics & Values, Student Outreach, Social Entrepreneurship, Initiative in Public Relations, Innovative Media Award, Award for Special Achievement by a University-Based Center, and Award for Special Achievement by a Young Institute.[2]
2010 awards
Free Market Solutions to Poverty
The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) won for undertaking a large project on regulatory reform in 2007 as part of a campaign to promote a free market economy. The project involved 130 experts from a large range of backgrounds including economists, government officials, and business leaders. Five focus groups considered the efficacy of about 5,000 regulations.[3]
The Independent Institute of Oakland, California won for publishing the book Lessons from the Poor: Triumph of the Entrepreneurial Spirit. In this book real world examples are used to make the case for entrepreneurship as a development strategy for poor countries.[3]
2009 awards
The following awards were made in 2009:[4]
Solutions to Poverty
The New Economic School in the Republic of Georgia was selected for their efforts to influence the political debate in favor of free-market policies.
The Free Market Foundation of South Africa won for publishing the book "Jobs for the Jobless", a condemnation of South African labor laws said to lead to widespread unemployment.
Social Entrepreneurship
Samasource won for its programs that offer training to small businesses in Africa and introduce them to American clients.
Fundación Paraguaya was selected for its San Francisco Agricultural School that trains poor youth to become entrepreneurs.
Ethics & Values
The Conservative Institute of Slovakia was recognized for its lecture programs that have hosted distinguished speakers on the topics of economics and ethics since 2005
The Globalization Institute won for publishing "The Mythology of the Greenhouse Effect", right before the 2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań.
Student Outreach
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education won for its Campus Freedom Network, an effort to educate students and organize them to be activists for individual liberty.
Institute Invertir of Peru received an award for its program bringing over 200 top university students from all over Peru to learn how to start and run a their own businesses.
Initiative in Public Relations
The Centre for Civil Society (India) was recognized for its School Choice Campaign operating in seven states for its successful awareness through street theater campaign in the states of Rajasthan and Orissa, demonstration at the political rally sites of the 2009 general election, and 151 news stories in one year.
The Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism of Sweden was awarded a prize for its approach to communicating problems under communist rule.
Innovative Media Award
The Sam Adams Alliance was recognized for Sunshine Review, a website dedicated to government transparency.
The Free to Choose Network won for its video website, Izzit.org.
Award for Special Achievement by a University-based Center
The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship at Rockford College won for launching six courses focusing on the ethics of entrepreneurship and the ethical foundations of free society.
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile was recognized for high quality research on entrepreneurship and improving curricula and teaching methods.
Award for Special Achievement by a Young Institute
Instituto Millenium of Brazil won for attracting more than 1000 students to two forums, placing more than 100 articles in newspapers and magazines, producing 30 online videos, publishing two books, and publishing a weekly newsletter with over 5000 subscribers.
The Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth won for starting one of the first essay contests in the Arabic world in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation asking students to answer the question: “Why am I a liberal?” The program received attention from 6 major newspapers, a youth radio station, and two major Egyptian political parties.
2008 awards
The following awards were made in 2008:[5]
Free Market Solutions to Poverty
The Unirule Institute of Economics (China) for its sustained efforts to promote marketization o public services in China.
The Fundación Ecuador Libre (Ecuador) for its Free Society Development Model based on individual freedom, private property and rule of law.
Social Entrepreneurship
The Japanese for Tax Reform (Japan) for its Local Financial Reform program.
The Deep Springs International (USA) for its unique program to increase the availability of safe water in Haiti facilities.
Ethics & Values
The American Center for Civic Character (USA) for its Better Business Bureau Ethical Enterprising project to fortify free-market business leaders.
The Polish-American Foundation for Economic Research and Education, PAFERE (Poland) for its Magister PAFERE program, designed to encourage graduate students to study free-market ideas.
Student Outreach
The Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge (Venezuela) for its Program for Free Market Economic Education for the Kids and Youth.
The Institut de Formation Politique (France) for educating more than 200 of France’s brightest young men and women since 2004 through its Seminar Program.
Initiative in Public Relations
The Goldwater Institute (USA) for its media outreach through the Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation.
Institución Futuro (Spain) for its Tax Freedom Day campaign and website which allows citizens to calculate how many days each tear they work solely to pay taxes and identify the day in which they begin working for themselves.
Innovative Media Award
The Reason Foundation (USA) for accomplishments in communicating the ideas of individual liberty, free markets and the rule of law through innovative video journalism on their Reason.tv website.
The Institute of Economic and Social Studies (Slovakia) for their website The Price of the State.
Award for Special Achievement by a University-based Center
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University (USA) for its Crisis and Response in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina project.
The Political Theory Project at Brown University (USA) for its dedication in promoting intellectual diversity at Brown.
Award for Special Achievement by a Young Institute
The Prometheus Institute (USA) for its three well-designed initiatives to advance liberty in the United States.
The Instituto Juan de Mariana (Spain) for its multifaceted approach.
References
- ↑ Templeton Freedom Awards for Excellence in Promoting Liberty, Atlas Economic Research Foundation
- ↑ How to Apply, Atlas Economic Research Foundation Archived September 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 Templeton Freedom Award Winners, Atlas Economic Research Institute
- ↑ 2009 Templeton Freedom Award Winners, Atlas Economic Research Foundation
- ↑ 2008 Templeton Freedom Award Winners, Atlas Economic Research Foundation