Yerevan/Mediamax/. Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity will help honor new humanitarian heroes who despite the odds motivate others to work toward making a substantial and consequential impact.

Oscar Arias, former President of Costa Rica, and Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, wrote this in their co-authored op-ed “Advancing Humanity’ Cause” published in Miami Herald magazine.

Oscar Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the 1987 for his work putting an end to the civil wars that ravaged Central America. Vartan Gregorian is one of the co-founders of 100 LIVES project. 

“We need to honor humanitarian heroes who are making a difference despite these tall odds — and, to the extent possible, motivate others to work toward making a substantial and consequential impact. We’re proud to be helping do just that as members of the selection committee for the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, a new global humanitarian award to be given annually to people who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive and thrive. In fact, the award was created by descendants of those who survived the Armenian Genocide precisely because someone took great risks to help them”, the authors wrote.

Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity makes part of 100 LIVES initiative which was officially launched in New York in March 2015. You can read more about it in Mediamax’s special reportage.

Aurora Prize will first be awarded in Yerevan in April 2016. The Prize will be handed over by American movie star George Clooney who is a jury co-chair. The winner will be awarded USD100 thousand; he will transfer USD1mln to the organization he has been inspired by.

On the 100 LIVES initiative’s website, everyone can nominate contenders for Aurora Prize by clicking on Nominate.