HLS Advocates for Human Rights and Harvard Human Rights Journal Global Advocacy Award
Read about the 2023 award recipient and finalists here.
Purpose:
Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights (Advocates) and the Harvard Human Rights Journal (HHRJ) present the Global Advocacy Award annually to a human rights activist whose work inspires emerging practitioners to devote themselves to the advancement of human rights and human dignity. The Global Advocacy Award recipient and shortlisted candidates will be invited to participate, either in-person or virtually, in an annual award ceremony that takes place each spring.
The award is intended to uplift an activist whose work inspires us and whose cause, we feel, would benefit from greater attention within the Harvard community and beyond. In furtherance of these objectives, Advocates and HHRJ hope to support the Global Advocacy Award recipient’s work in the years following its bestowal. Both organizations welcome opportunities to discuss potential future avenues of collaboration with the award recipient, as well as with shortlisted candidates.
Eligibility Criteria:
Nominees must be currently engaged in innovative human rights advocacy on a cause that would benefit from increased attention from the international human rights community. Nominees must not have worked on a project with Advocates or with the Harvard International Human Rights Clinic within the last three years. Although legal practitioners are eligible for the award, a legal approach to advocacy is not required.
Candidates will be evaluated on:
- Contribution to efforts advancing human rights and human dignity
- Dedication to a cause that would benefit from greater international visibility
- Employment of innovative approaches to human rights advocacy
- Capacity to inspire and serve as a model for future human rights practitioners
- Potential for advocacy efforts to support systemic change
Selection will also consider the diversity of candidates including their country of origin, race, gender identity, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, age, religion, and disability.
Selection Process:
There are three stages to the selection process:
1. Nomination Stage
Advocates and HHRJ welcome Global Advocacy Award nominations from the human rights community as a whole, including from non-Harvard affiliates. This nomination process will take place during the month of February and will be conducted via an online survey, which will be disseminated to Advocates and HHRJ students, project partners, and alumni, and shared publicly though social media.
2. Shortlist Stage
Shortlisted candidates will be selected by a Special Committee, composed of three members of the Advocates Executive Board and three members of the HHRJ Editorial Board. Nominees selected for the shortlist will be contacted prior to the final release of the list to confirm their interest in being considered for the award. The final shortlist selections will be released in mid to late March.
3. Final Recipient Selection
Once finalized, the recipient will be selected by a vote by the HHRJ editorial board and Advocates members. To be eligible to vote through Advocates, individuals must be on the Advocates Executive Board or have taken part in at least one Advocates project in the past year. To be eligible to vote through HHRJ, individuals must be on the current HHRJ editorial board (including participants in the annual subcite). The award recipient will be announced in April, and will be celebrated at an annual award ceremony that takes place in April or May.
Please feel free to contact the Advocates and HHRJ leadership with any questions or concerns at advocates@law.harvard.edu or hhrj@law.harvard.edu.