Deadline: 31-Mar-23

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 award will be presented jointly at this and each year’s Athens Democracy Forum (ADF) which takes place at the end of September.

Objectives

• This Prize aims to:
  • Recognise 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 recognised 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 governnace;
  • 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.

Funding Information

• 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.

Eligibility Criteria

• Every year, the call for nominations will be publicly announced as well as shared directly with roughly one hundred organisations 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 organisations:
  • 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 the Award could bring to the nominee in terms of international notoriety and support.

For more information, visit Kofi Annan Foundation.