What are the Selection Criteria?
The Sydney Peace Prize is awarded to an organization or an individual whose life and work has demonstrated significant contributions to
- The achievement of peace with justice locally, nationally or internationally.
- The promotion and attainment of human rights
- The philosophy, language and practice of non violence
What is the the Selection Process?
The Sydney Peace Prize Recipient is selected by the Sydney Peace Prize Jury.
The composition of the Jury is determined by a Nominations sub-committee of the SPF Executive Committee, comprised of the Chair, the Executive Director and one other.
Since its inception, the Jury has always comprised six to seven members, including at least two members independent of the SPF Executive Committee. The Jury membership reflects a balance of men and women of diverse backgrounds. The jury's meetings have been convened and chaired by the Convenor of the Jury, as determined by the Nominations sub-committee.
Can I make a nomination?
Yes, members of the public may make nominations.
How are nominations received?
Public notification of the nomination process is made by the Sydney Peace Foundation through media releases and the SPF website.
Nominations are invited from :
- Members of the community at large
- Members of the Sydney Peace Foundation Executive Committee
- Members of the Jury
Nominations should be forwarded to the Sydney Peace Foundation. Nominations received by the end of February in each year are considered in relation to the award of the Sydney Peace Prize for the following year. Each year since 1998, approximately ten nominations from the public at large have been forwarded to the Convener of the Sydney Peace Prize Jury.
What information should accompany a nomination?
Nominations should be accompanied by a short statement explaining the merit of the nomination against the criteria for selection, together with citation of relevant reference material.
How does the Jury deliberate?
The precise process: number and frequency of meetings, the manner of consideration, and the manner of determination, is left to the Jury itself to determine.
Generally, the first such meeting is sought to be held on or before March of the year preceding the Award of the Peace Prize (eg the meetings for the 2008 Prize would commence in about March 2007), with a view to final determination in or about October that year – to allow a lead time of approximately 12 months to contact the intended Recipient and make arrangements for the Award of the Prize in Sydney.
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Traditionally, the approach of the Jury has been that a number of meetings in the early part of the year would be used to canvass the various nominees, with a view to identification of a short list of nominees for further deliberation. The material and resources relied on at this point of the deliberations would be as supplied or cited in support of the nomination, together with any supplemental information identified by the Jury members themselves.
Upon determination of the short list, the SPF may commission more extensive research on the identified nominees. Such research results, including relevant underlying material would be made available to the Jury members; who would continue to meet as appropriate to determine the proposed Award
The Jury makes its choice by process of discussion, question, answer and analysis. The tradition of the Jury is to choose the Sydney Peace Prize recipient by consensus. One colleague may be asked to write the rationale for the jury's selection – the ‘citation’. Such a document provides the base for subsequent media releases which would explain the jury's choice.
Following the jury's decision, usually made by late October, the Director of the Peace Foundation writes to the chosen candidate, informs that person of the grounds for the jury's decision and invites him or her to come to Sydney for the Peace Prize events in the first week of November the following year.
Further comments on the criteria for selection
A purpose of the Sydney Peace Foundation is to promote a cosmopolitan view of peace with justice. For example, a Peace Prize nominee may be considered worthy because they have worked for human rights in relation to education, social welfare and health issues within their own community. They may have received little public recognition for such work.
We have not sought candidates with impeccable records as efforts for Peace and Human Rights are often controversial. Neither have we regarded a Peace Prize recipient as someone whose claims on a Prize must be associated with a specific event, such as a ceasefire in hostilities or the signing of a peace treaty.
Otherwise the Jury is guided only by application of the Selection Criteria.
The Principle of Confidentiality
All processes and deliberations of the Jury are subject to strict confidentiality. The principle of confidentiality has been adhered to in several ways.
- Nominations are treated confidentially by the Jury.
- Nominees are not informed that they have been nominated.
- The minutes of Jury meetings are confidential.
- The name of the selected recipient is not made public until they have accepted offer of the Prize.
- A prospective recipient's unwillingness or inability to accept the Prize is not made public, thus making possible a reconvening of the Jury with a view to selecting another candidate.
- Each Jury member's views are not for public comment even if, inevitably, some members have strong feelings about the merits of nominees.
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