Gandhi Peace Prize

For the award presented by the U.S. peace education organization Promoting Enduring Peace, see Gandhi Peace Award. For the award presented by the London-based Gandhi Foundation, see Gandhi International Peace Award.

Gandhi Peace Prize
Award Information
Category	International
First awarded	1995
Total awarded	12
Awarded by	Government of India
Cash award	10 million
First awardee(s)	Julius Nyerere

The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mohandas Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India.

As a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi, the Government of India launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mohandas Gandhi. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries Rs. 10 million in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or sex.

A jury consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India and two other eminent persons decides the awardee each year.

Ordinarily, only proposals coming from competent persons invited to nominate are considered. However, a proposal is not taken as invalid for consideration by the jury merely on the ground of not having emanated from competent persons. If, however, it is considered that none of the proposals merit recognition, the jury is free to withhold the award for that year. Only achievements within 10 years immediately preceding the nomination are considered for the award; an older work may, however, be considered if its significance has not become apparent until recently. A written work, in order to be eligible for consideration, should have been published.

Recipients

Indicates a joint award for that year

Year	Recipient	Image	Birth / death	Country	Description
1995	Julius Nyerere		1922 – 1999	Tanzanian	First President of Tanzania
1996	A. T. Ariyaratne		b. 1931	Sri Lanka	Founder of Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement
1997	Gerhard Fischer		1921 - 2006	Germany	German diplomat, recognised for his work against leprosy and polio
1998	Ramakrishna Mission		est. 1897	India	Founded by Swami Vivekananda for promoting social welfare, tolerance, and non-violence among disadvantaged groups
1999	Baba Amte		1914 – 2008	India	Social worker, known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy
2000	Nelson Mandela		b. 1918	South Africa	Former President of South Africa
	Grameen Bank		est. 1983	Bangladesh	Founded by Muhammad Yunus
2001	John Hume		b. 1937	United Kingdom	Northern Irish Politician
2002	Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan		est. 1938	India	Educational trust that emphasizes Indian culture
2003	Václav Havel		1936 – 2011	Czech Republic	Last President of Czechoslovakia and first President of the Czech Republic
2004	Coretta Scott King		1927 – 2006	United States	Activist and civil rights leader. Wife of Martin Luther King.
2005	Desmond Tutu		b. 1931	South Africa	South African cleric and activist

See also

• Gandhi Memorial International Foundation
• Gandhi Peace Award
• Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
• List of peace activists