Please review the Nomination Eligibility Requirements and Award Selection Criteria below before completing the nomination form. 

• All nominations must be submitted by a nominator and not a nominee. Self-nominations are not permitted. Anonymous nominations are not permitted.
• All nominations must be submitted in English.
• Only one nomination application will be accepted for each woman nominated. If more than one nomination application is received for a nominee, the first nomination application submitted will be considered for the award.
• Nomination applications should be completed in consultation with the nominee. Nominators should be certain that their nominee is willing and able to travel to the United States, participate in a social media campaign, and speak publicly about her work.

Nominees must meet all six requirements listed below to move forward in the award selection process. Self-nominations are not permitted.

1. The nominee must be a living woman of at least 18 years of age. Posthumous nominations are not accepted.
2. The nominee must be a non-U.S. citizen.
3. The nominee must be working to build peace in a fragile or conflict-affected country or region. A fragile country or region is one at high risk for violent conflict.
4. The nominee must be able and willing to travel to the United States, participate in a social media campaign, and speak publicly about her work.
5. The nominee cannot be employed by USIP or have been affiliated with USIP as a contractor, grantee, or fellow during the 24 months prior to the submission of this nomination.
6. The nominee cannot be a prior recipient of the Women Building Peace Award.

Commitment to Peace

The nominee shows a commitment to peace through her work to prevent or resolve conflict nonviolently. She has persisted in the face of profound barriers and personal risk. She inspires others through her personal courage.

Exceptional Leadership

The nominee demonstrates exceptional leadership through her vision, integrity, and collaboration, and has earned the respect of others in the pursuit of peace. She raises and legitimizes the views of marginalized communities. She is a catalyst for change.

Outstanding Practitioner

The nominee has a coherent focus on peacebuilding and grounds her work in practical experiences. She has adapted her peacebuilding work to changing conflict dynamics. She is exceptionally skilled and innovative in her use of the tools of peacebuilding. Her work serves as a model for others.

Substantial Impact

The nominee’s work has demonstrated significance in a conflict context of strategic importance and has led to tangible, quantifiable results. She has developed her peacebuilding efforts from local origins (grassroots, bottom-up).  Her efforts strengthen civil society and make a positive impact on community resilience, cultural norms and attitudes.

USIP has long been engaged in supporting women peacebuilders in countries affected by conflict—including mediators in Colombia, women-led organizations preventing violent extremism in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, advocates for gender equality in Pakistan, religious leaders across the Middle East advancing the rights of women and girls, civil society leaders and peace negotiators in Afghanistan, and leaders of nonviolent movements around the globe.

The Women Building Peace Award reflects the Institute’s comprehensive commitment to gender and peacebuilding and demonstrates the important role women play in peacebuilding efforts.

The award honors a woman peacebuilder who has made a substantial contribution to the pursuit of peace and security in her community, region, or issue area. The annual award recipient is chosen with the help of the Women Building Peace Council. The Council is a brain trust of distinguished experts and leaders who offer their guidance and support to USIP as we elevate the voices of women peacebuilders. Drawing upon their collective expertise in the fields of gender and peacebuilding, the Council’s core role is to help select the finalists and the recipient of the annual Women Building Peace Award.

USIP’s award is different from other prominent awards for women in two ways: First, it focuses on women from civil society who are working on the front lines of conflict. Second,  it focuses on women at the grassroots level who have not been previously recognized for their peacebuilding work. During the first three years of the award, 24 women from 13 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America have been named as finalists. The award winners have come from South Sudan, Kenya and Colombia.

Who can submit nominations?
While all Women Building Peace Award nominees must be women, both men and women can act as nominators. Nominators should be familiar with the nominee’s peacebuilding work and be able to speak specifically to ways in which the nominee meets the selection criteria.

Does the woman I am nominating need to know I have nominated her?
Yes. Nomination applications should be completed in consultation with the nominee. Nominators should be certain that their nominee is willing and able to travel to the United States and speak publicly about her work.

Can more than one person nominate the same individual?
Only one nomination application will be accepted for each woman peacebuilder. If more than one nomination is received for a nominee, the first nomination submitted will be considered for the award.

Can I nominate myself for the award?
No. Self-nominations are not accepted. We encourage you to find a colleague or another individual who is willing to nominate you for the award.

Can an individual be nominated posthumously?
No. The Women Building Peace Award does not accept posthumous nominations.

What happens to a nomination application if the nominee does not meet the Eligibility Requirements for the award?
All nomination applications are reviewed to ensure that the nominee meets the Eligibility Requirements. If a nominee does not meet the Eligibility Requirements, the nomination application will not be accepted.

Will the nominee be notified once the nominator has submitted the nomination application?
No. It is the responsibility of the nominator to inform the woman peacebuilder that she was nominated for the award.

If the nominee is not chosen as a Finalist for the Women Building Peace Award, is she eligible to apply for another USIP grant or fellowship competition?
Yes. A nominee may apply for a USIP grant or fellowship opportunity. 

What is a fragile or conflict-affected country or region?
A fragile or conflict-affected country or region is a place where the social compact between people and the state is weak or absent and where violent conflict is ongoing or recently subsided.

What is peacebuilding?
Peacebuilding involves a transformation toward more manageable, peaceful relationships and governance structures. It is the long-term process of addressing root causes and effects, reconciling differences, normalizing relations, and building institutions that can manage conflict without resorting to violence.