Established in 1954, the Nansen Refugee Award is given to a person or group for outstanding work on behalf of the forcibly displaced.
The award is named after Fridtjof Nansen, an intrepid polar explorer and humanitarian who went on to serve as the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations and won the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize.
The award consists of a commemorative medal and a US$100,000 monetary prize donated by the governments of Norway and Switzerland to support a project of the laureate's choice to benefit displaced people.
Who can nominate?
There are no restrictions on who can nominate a candidate for
the Nansen Refugee Award. If you know of a deserving individual, group or
organization, we welcome your nomination.
Who is eligible for the
Nansen Refugee Award?
The Nansen Refugee Award is given to inspirational
and committed individuals, groups of people or
organizations for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. Nominations are encouraged for a variety of different for
candidates, ranging from government and political leaders, to aid workers, and
members of civil society who have exhibited extraordinary acts of selflessness
or dedication.
Candidates don’t have to be world famous
– any one who has demonstrated real civil courage for the refugee cause, or has
had an extraordinary impact on the lives of people who have been displaced is considered
an excellent candidate.
Is anyone not eligible for nomination?
Current or former UNHCR staffs are not eligible.
Self-nominations are strongly discouraged.
Nomination deadlines
All
nominations for the 2013 award must be sent to the Nansen Secretariat by
25 January, 2013.
25 January, 2013.
How
do I nominate?
To
nominate a candidate for the 2013 Nansen Refugee Award, simply fill out the
form below and send it to the Nansen Committee Secretariat by email or
mail. The strongest nominations will
have detailed accounts of the candidate’s work and strong references to back up the submission.
The
preferred method for receiving nominations forms is via email to nansen@unhcr.org.
The
form may be sent by post to:
Nansen
Committee Secretariat
UNHCR
P.O.
Box 2500
1211
Geneva 2, Switzerland
The independent selection committee
reviews all the nominations and makes a choice from the list of candidates.
Please note that the nominations process is confidential until the announcement
of the 2013 laureate in the summer, and no information regarding the status of
your nomination will be given.
For any questions, please contact the
Nansen Secretariat at nansen@unhcr.org.
