Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize 2025 for Emerging Young Leaders (USD 10,000 monetary Prize)

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Know a young leader who has shown exceptional leadership in promoting or defending democracy? Nominate them for the third edition of the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize. The Kofi Annan Foundation and the Democracy and Culture Foundation invite nominations for the third edition of the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Award.

Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize Objectives

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

Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize Benefits

The Prize includes a monetary prize of USD 10,000.
The award will be presented 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 organising a panel session on youth and democracy at the following year’s Forum.

Eligibility Criteria for 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.

How To Apply for Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize

Organisation representatives: Please send your completed nomination to nominations@democracyculturefoundation.org by midnight CET, 31 March 2025
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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Application Deadline: 31 March 2025