Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Grant

Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Grant is sponsored by Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. Recognizes individuals or organizations whose actions have had a significant impact on human rights and humanitarian causes.

Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Aurora Hosts Dynamic Discussion on Support for Local Humanitarians On April 23, 2026, Aurora convened grassroots leaders, donors, and experts at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford for a panel on expanding funding for locally led humanitarian responses Introducing Aurora 2.

0: From Recognition to Sustained Support for Frontline Humanitarians Richard Kayembé Kojan: “I Am a Doctor, I Treat Everyone” The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is a global nonprofit that elevates courageous grassroots humanitarians working on the frontlines of today’s most pressing crises.

Through funding, community, and visibility, including the biennial $1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, Aurora has built a global network of more than 100 humanitarian leaders. The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a $1 million biennial global award recognizing individuals who risk their lives to save others affected by violent conflict and atrocity crimes.

Beyond the award, Aurora builds a sustained, tailored partnership with each Laureate, supporting advocacy for local humanitarians, advancing policies and programs to address the crisis they face, engaging them in global forums, and amplifying their work through storytelling and media to ensure local voices are consistently heard.

Photo: 2025 Aurora Prize Laureate Dr. Jamal Eltaeb, Head of Traumatology and General Director at Al Nao Hospital in Omdurman, Sudan.

Photo by Luke Dray Global Humanitarian Leaders Stand in Solidarity with Ruben Vardanyan Ruben Vardanyan, Armenian philanthropist and Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, was unjustly arrested by the Azerbaijani government in September 2023 and convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2026.

His detention, trial, and sentencing, tied to his humanitarian work in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and carried out by an Azerbaijani military court, represent a troubling disregard for fundamental human rights. We call for Ruben’s immediate release and urge the international community to stand firm in defending the principles of justice, human rights, and due process.

In Honor of Vartan Gregorian Vartan Gregorian (1934 - 2021) Vartan Gregorian, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Co-Founder and member of the Aurora Prize Selection Committee, passed away in April 2021. He overcame countless challenges and built a career that spanned several decades and crossed the lines of academia, philanthropy, and culture within and beyond the United States.

Committed to the eradication of genocide, discrimination, and persecution, he has become a mentor and a beacon of hope for all inspired by his empathy and determination. Aurora is forever grateful for his vision, and his legacy will live on.