The Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2023 for young emerging Leaders. (USD 10,000 prize)

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.

The Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy 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;
• Inspire young people to commit to the advancement of democracy.

Benefits

• 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.

Nomination

Nominees must be aged between 18 and 30 at the time of nomination. There are no restrictions in terms of nationality, gender, or occupation. The Selection Committee will consider the following when deciding the winner:

• 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.

Nomination Procedure:

Please send your completed nomination to: nominations@democracyculturefoundation.org 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)

Timeline

• The nomination period for the 2023 Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Award is January 31, 2023, through March 31, 2023. 
• The awardee will receive notification by July 2023.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2023