Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2023 (Award of USD 10,000
and mentorship)
The Democracy & Culture Foundation (DCF) in association
with the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF), is launching an annual “Kofi Annan
NextGen Democracy Prize.” The award will be presented jointly at this and each
year’s Athens Democracy Forum (ADF) which takes place at the end of September
Launched by the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF) and the Democracy
and Culture Foundation (DCF), the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy
Prize is awarded to a young leader aged between 18 and 30 and presented
each year at the Athens Democracy Forum. The aim is to recognize exceptional
leadership and inspire more young people to commit to the advancement of
democracy. An independent judging panel reviews the applications and selects
the award recipient.
“I remain a committed believer in the value of democracy as a
catalyst for better governance, greater security, and human development. The
spread of democracy has been one of the most profound and positive developments
that I have witnessed over my career.” – Kofi Annan
The winner receives an award of USD 10,000 and a one-year
mentorship with a recognized democracy expert. Each year, the winner will have
the opportunity to speak at the forthcoming Athens Democracy Forum and
officially pass the award to the next recipient.
Objectives:
This Prize aims to:
• Recognize exceptional intellectual and/or “in action” leadership shown by a
young activist in defending, promoting or renewing democracy;
• Provide the recipient of the prize with support including through a one-year
mentorship with a recognized democracy expert or senior leader;
• Through appropriate publicity, inspire young people to commit to the
advancement of democracy.
The Prize will highlight actions taken by young people to:
• foster genuine participation in decision-making;
• promote peaceful dialogue on divisive political issues;
• propose innovative approaches to democratic participation and democratic
governance;
• advance intergenerational exchange on matters related to democracy;
• give a real voice to people and communities who have traditionally been
excluded from decision-making;
• contribute to or advocate for the Organisation of free and fair elections and
their acceptance;
• protect freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of expression;
• garner support for the independence of democratic institutions; or
• fight for reform in both the public and private sectors to ensure that
democracy adapts,
develops and survives as the pre-eminent method of government.
The Prize includes a monetary prize of USD 10,000. The award
will be presented each year at the Athens Democracy Forum and all travel and
accommodation expenses linked to the Awardee’s participation in the Forum will
be covered by the organizers. Awardees will be invited to take a leading role
in organizing a session on youth and democracy at the following year’s Forum.
Selection criteria and process:
Every year, the call for nominations will be publicly
announced as well as shared directly with roughly one hundred organizations who
work in democracy promotion or youth empowerment.
Nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of
nomination. There are no restrictions in terms of nationality, gender, or
occupation. DCF will receive and filter the nominations to ensure candidates
meet the requirements. A list of no fewer than ten nominees will be submitted
to the Selection Committee, which will consist of representatives of the
following organizations:
• Democracy & Culture Foundation
• Kofi Annan Foundation
• One Young World
• A youth-led democracy organization
The Selection Committee will consider the following when
deciding on the award:
• Impact: The nominee’s actions had a demonstrated outcome, for instance a
change in policy in a given country, the rate of participation in elections,
the number of people reached through a specific campaign, the number of users
of a specific application, the number of students gaining a wider understanding
of the importance of the democratic process, the number of community
associations engaged in an educational campaign etc.
• Innovation: The innovative character of these actions.
• Sustainability: Whether the nominee has advanced the cause of democracy and
human rights for a sustained period of one year minimum, and whether her/his
actions are sustainable over time and replicable in other contexts;
• Values: The values displayed by the Nominee through her/his actions.
• Benefit: The added value which the Award could bring to the nominee in terms
of international notoriety and support
Submission of proposals:
We invite you to nominate a young person in your network who
would match these criteria.
Nominating organisations need to submit:
• A detailed letter of support (maximum 500 words) explaining why they feel the
person they are nominating should be recognised.
• The attached Submission Form, duly completed, describing the nominee, their
actions in support of democracy and their accomplishments.
• A brief video (2-minute max, can simply be shot on a smartphone) by the
nominee about his/her work. The video can be sent via WeTransfer at
[email protected] or shared by Loom.
• Other material can be included with the application, e.g., podcast, press
interview, blog.
Please note that:
• Nominees should give permission for their names to be put forward and should
be willing to participate in public activities in the context of the Athens
Democracy Forum.
Nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of
nomination. The nomination period for the 2023 Kofi Annan NextGen
Democracy Award is January 31, 2023, through March 31, 2023. Notification
of the awardee will be made by July 2023.
Please send your completed nomination to: [email protected] by
midnight CET, 31 March 2023
Nominations must include all of the following:
Completed Submission
Form
A Cover Letter of support (max 500 words)
Short video testimony from the nominee (2 minutes max, can be
shot on a smartphone)
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