The Charles Bronfman Prize Announces Call for Nominations

International Prize Seeks Extraordinary Young Humanitarians From All Fields to Honor in 2011


NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 1, 2010) -  The Charles Bronfman Prize is now accepting nominations for the 2011 award cycle. The Prize celebrates the vision and endeavor of an individual or team of individuals, under fifty years of age, whose humanitarian work is of universal benefit to all people. Its goal is to bring public recognition to dynamic, young innovators from around the world, whose Jewish values infuse their humanitarian accomplishments, providing inspiration for generations to come.

Nominations will be accepted between November 1, 2010 and January 14, 2011. The required nomination forms and guidelines for the process are available for download from www.TheCharlesBronfmanPrize.com. An internationally recognized panel of Judges will select the Prize recipient(s) and bestow an award of $100,000 in the fall of 2011.

"The Charles Bronfman Prize honors today's Jewish heroes," said the Prize Founders. "We've been privileged to meet remarkable nominees representing a wide range of humanitarian endeavors over the years, and are eager to uncover the extraordinary, young humanitarian The Charles Bronfman Prize will honor in 2011."

Last week, Sasha Chanoff, Founder and Executive Director of Mapendo International and Jared Genser, Founder and President of Freedom Now, were each presented with The Charles Bronfman Prize for 2010 for their outstanding accomplishments in the field of Human Rights at an award ceremony in New York City. "Receiving The Charles Bronfman Prize is a tremendous honor, and has helped Mapendo International raise critical awareness for the plight of refugees, who are too often left unseen and forgotten," said Sasha Chanoff, Founder and Executive Director of Mapendo International, a Boston-based international refugee agency that rescues refugees in life-threatening situations by permanently resettling them to countries where they can rebuild their lives.

"I have always sought to inspire members of the next generation to embrace their obligation to have a positive impact on the world. The Charles Bronfman Prize has provided me with a tremendous new platform to advance that goal," said Jared Genser, Founder and President of Freedom Now, a Washington-based international human rights organization which frees prisoners of conscience worldwide through focused legal, political, and public relations advocacy efforts.

Mr. Chanoff and Mr. Genser join a growing fellowship of young Jewish innovators who are achieving global impact through their humanitarian endeavors. Previous recipients of the Prize are Jay Feinberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation; Dr. Alon Tal, Founder of Israel's Arava Institute for Environmental Studies; Dr. Amitai Ziv, Founder and Director of the Israel Center for Medical Simulation; Rachel Andres, Founder and Director of Jewish World Watch's Solar Cooker Project and Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, Co-Founders of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP).

Six years ago, Ellen Bronfman Hauptman and Andrew Hauptman together with Stephen Bronfman and Claudine Blondin Bronfman presented the first Prize to honor their father, and the values he has lived by throughout his life. Over the years, nominators from distinguished international institutions in both public and private sectors have helped identify accomplished nominees whose purpose deserves attention and respect, and serves to inspire others. Judges have considered hundreds of qualified nominations from around the globe -- young women and men whose diverse range of humanitarian efforts include ground-breaking applications of alternative energy, co-existence, conflict resolution, education, environmental initiatives, human rights, medicine and science, and social justice. 

About The Charles Bronfman Prize
The Charles Bronfman Prize is a humanitarian award that celebrates the vision and endeavor of an individual or team, under fifty years of age whose humanitarian work has contributed significantly to the betterment of the world. Its goal is to bring public recognition to young, dynamic individuals whose Jewish values infuse their humanitarian accomplishments, and provide inspiration to the next generations. An internationally recognized panel of Judges selects the Prize recipient(s) and bestows an award of $100,000.

The Charles Bronfman Prize Foundation, a United States 501(c)(3) corporation headquartered in New York, administers the Prize. For more information about Charles Bronfman, The Prize or prior recipients and their accomplishments, please visit www.TheCharlesBronfmanPrize.com.

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