Applications Invited for Mark Palmer Prize 2023

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About the Organization

Where governments are accountable to their people; the rule of law prevails; and freedoms of expression, association, and belief, as well as respect for the rights of women, minority communities, and historically marginalized groups, are guaranteed.

We speak out against the main threats to democracy and empower citizens to exercise their fundamental rights through a unique combination of analysis, advocacy, and direct support to frontline defenders of freedom, especially those working in closed authoritarian societies. Founded in 1941, Freedom House was the first American organization to champion the advancement of freedom globally. Working as an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world, Freedom House is notable for its nonpartisan character and commitment to maintaining support for its mission among members of both major US political parties.

About the Prize

Freedom House is soliciting nominations for the 2023 Mark Palmer Prize, which recognizes exceptional achievements to protect and advance democracy by diplomats and officials serving in intergovernmental institutions.

The award takes its name from the late Mark Palmer, a longtime Freedom House trustee and US ambassador to Hungary from 1986 to 1990. In 1989, as the Cold War was coming to a close, Palmer boldly joined civil society and the Hungarian democratic opposition to support the country’s transition to democracy.

The Mark Palmer Prize has been awarded to diplomats and international civil servants from around the world, including Peru, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Mongolia, Sweden, Canada, Uruguay, and the United States. The prize is made possible through the generosity of the Mark and Sushma Palmer Legacy Fund, established by Sushma Palmer in loving memory of her late husband and former Freedom House trustee Ambassador Mark Palmer.

Criteria

• Nominations for the Mark Palmer Prize should document the diplomat or official’s extraordinary achievements in and support for advancing democracy and human rights by accomplishing one or more of the following:
• Demonstrated support for civil society’s right to freedoms of assembly, expression, and other principles as outlined in the Warsaw Declaration of the Community of Democracies
• Supported efforts to assure broader political participation
• Contributed significantly to assuring free and fair elections
• Sustained efforts to support human rights, including actions that resulted in a release of prisoners of conscience or an end to cruel and inhuman punishment
• Facilitated a broader dialogue on democratic reform
• Coordinated effective international efforts to advance democracy
• Identified and articulated the importance of democratic values, despite working in a closed or authoritarian society
• Contributed innovative ideas and support for the consolidation of democratic institutions in countries in transition
• Upheld the idea of rule of law in countries where it is not practiced

Deadline

Nominations must be submitted via the nomination form at the bottom of the page by December 31, 2022.

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