Nansen Refugee Award
Nominations open for 2017!
We are searching for an unsung hero who supports refugees! Deadline to nominate is 7 February 2017!
Once a year, we recognize extraordinary service to the forcibly displaced. Few humanitarian honors possess the rich legacy of UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award. Since established in 1954, more than 60 individuals, groups and organizations have been acknowledged for outstanding and dedicated work on behalf of displaced people. The award is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian polar explorer and humanitarian who served as the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations.
Through its recipients, the Nansen Refugee Award aims to showcase Nansen’s values of perseverance and conviction in the face of adversity. The 2016 joint winners, Ms. Efi Latsoudi of PIKPA village on Lesvos, and Konstantinos Mitrigas on behalf of The Hellenic Rescue Team, worked tirelessly to aid refugees arriving in Greece and reflects the spirit of volunteerism that characterized the response to the refugee and migrant emergency in Europe in 2015.
We are now looking for the next unsung hero – nominations are open! Click to nominate or click to find out more about what we are looking for in a nominee.
Latest updates
Nominations are now open!
Do you know an unsung hero supporting refugees? Nominations are open until 7 February – help us find the 2017 Nansen Refugee Award Winner.
2016 Nansen Ceremony – the highlights
On 3 October we recognised the efforts of Efi Latsoudi and Konstantinos Mitragas with an inspirational ceremony in Geneva. Watch the highlights film.
Aqeela Asifi is turning girls' dreams into reality in Pakistan
In 2015 Aqeela Asifi won the Nansen Refugee Award. Investing most of her prize fund into extending her school, Asifi has now made the impossible possible – refugee girls can now continue their education past the age of 14.