The Award
The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize in the amount of $50,000 is awarded biannually to an individual or organization chosen by a distinguished panel of judges. The goal of this award is to enhance awareness of the critical role of religious dialogue in the pursuit of peace as well as to provide direct support for the furtherance of such activities. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso, was named the first winner of the Guru Nanak Prize in 2008 in recognition of his many years of promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding around the world.
Award Criteria
A panel of judges composed of religious leaders, academics and individuals known for their commitment to interfaith dialogue will consider the recent and career accomplishments of nominees. Award recipients will have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, courage and a capacity for inspiring in others a willingness to embrace the vulnerability that is the key to true religious dialogue.
Eligibility: Any living individual or organization that the nominator believes has contributed to the promotion of constructive dialogue and/or relations between faith communities.
Criteria: The committee invites nominators to consider a wide-range of activities. A nominee may, for example, have organized members of different faith communities to work toward a common goal; produced a work of art or literature that contributes to or publicizes the importance of interfaith dialogue; or uses a position of authority or power to bring faith communities together. Nominees may be designated on the basis of a single contribution or a lifetime of contributions.
Nomination Procedures: Nominators should provide a brief description of themselves (no more than 100 words) and a two page letter describing the individual or organization being nominated and the activities the nominator believes qualify the nominee for consideration. Nominations may be submitted via online form or via email at gurunanakprize[at]hofstra.edu.
Due Date: Nomination deadline is July 31, 2024.