Humanitarian
Prize:
Nominations

What do I need to do to submit a nomination?

To nominate an organization, please visit the Hilton Humanitarian Prize nominations portal and submit your nomination by Wednesday, April 30, 2025, for your nomination to be considered for the 2026 Prize. Nominations submitted via email will not be accepted. We also encourage you to sign up for updates to be notified of Hilton Prize news.

What information should be included in the nomination letter?

The Hilton Humanitarian Prize is awarded based on achievements, rather than future goals. Therefore, the letter of nomination should focus on what the organization has accomplished. Key areas that are considered include: extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering; significance of the issue(s) the organization is addressing; established record of achievement in significantly contributing to solutions; demonstration of a compelling programmatic approach to make a lasting impact; organizational capacity and administrative efficiency to address the issue(s) at hand; demonstration of effective partnerships to leverage further impact; innovation in program design; prioritization of evaluating programmatic approach for continual improvement; and impact the Prize would have on the organization and the issue(s) on which the organization focuses.

To whom do I address my nomination letter?

The nomination letter itself should be addressed to the “Hilton Humanitarian Prize Jury” and uploaded online. The letter must include a handwritten or electronic signature.

How will I be informed of the status of my nomination?

You may log in to the Hilton Humanitarian Prize nominations portal at any time to see the status of your nomination. The final status you will see is “submitted,” which indicates that we have notified the nominee of your nomination. Our independent international jury will meet during the following summer to select the Prize recipient. All nominators will be notified via email of the outcome of the Prize selection by summer of the year the Prize is awarded.

Can I nominate an organization of which I am a board member?

You may nominate an organization for which you serve on the board or volunteer, provided that you do not receive compensation for your services. However, you may not nominate an organization if you are its founder or an employee.

Can I nominate myself or an individual?

Nominations must be for U.S. based 501(c)(3) organizations or the international equivalent. Nominations for individuals are not accepted for the Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Can I nominate a program/project initiative of a larger institution?

All eligible nominees must have their own 501(c)(3) status with accompanying audited financial statements. A program or project initiative of a larger institution, regardless of whether it has its own budget, is ineligible for the Prize. The institution would need to be the nominee. If you nominate an organization that does not have their own 501(c)(3) status, they will be removed from consideration.

How many organizations can I nominate in the same year?

Nominators can only nominate one organization per Prize cycle. You may nominate two organizations in the same calendar year as long as they are for different Prize cycles (e.g., 2025 Prize and 2026 Prize).

Is there a limit to the number of times one individual can nominate the same organization?

No. An individual can nominate the same organization year after year if they wish.

How will our organization be notified if we are nominated for the Prize?

Once the Prize team receives a nomination, we notify the organization via email with a request for additional information to be submitted through an online portal. We contact the organization using the contact information provided by the nominator. If you know that you have been nominated but have not received a notification email, please contact our office.

What is requested of the organization during the application process?

Once nominated, you will be invited to complete an application through our online portal. The application process consists of two phases.

Phase 1: In Phase 1, the application will ask you to verify eligibility, provide contact and background information about the organization (mission, constituency served, geographic areas served, etc.), describe the organization’s programmatic approach and impact, and provide recent financial information. You will also be requested to upload your most recent audited financial statement and annual report/newsletter.

Phase 2: If your organization is invited to Phase 2, you will be requested to complete a more detailed application and submit additional materials.

How will our organization be notified if we are selected to provide additional information for Phase 2?

If your organization is selected to provide additional information, we will notify you via email.

What is the difference between the Phase 1 review, the Phase 2 review, and the Finalist review?

Phase 1: Nominees undergo an initial review process which evaluates the organization’s application and materials submitted.

Phase 2: Nominees submit additional materials that provide more in-depth information about the organization’s approach and impact. At the end of this phase, a shortlist of finalists are selected.

Finalist: For the finalist review, shortlisted organizations will submit additional information. These organizations will be evaluated by the independent jury for the Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

If my organization is nominated for the Prize, when and how will we be notified if we are selected as the recipient?

All nominees will be notified via email as to the outcome of the Prize selection in the winter of the year the Prize is awarded.

However, please note, due to the volume of nominations received, if your organization submits materials incorrectly or submits an application but does not meet the eligibility criteria, the organization will be removed from consideration without being contacted for verification.

Can a board member or volunteer of our organization nominate us?

A board member or volunteer of your organization can be a nominator, provided that they do not receive compensation for their services. However, an organization’s founder or employee may not nominate its own organization.

We know of multiple people who would like to nominate our organization. How should we proceed?

Each organization can only have one nominator. If more than one nomination is received for your organization, the first one received will be the nomination of record, unless otherwise directed by you. All other nominations will be registered as letters of support; however, no more than four letters of support will be recorded.

If you are aware of several people who wish to nominate you, we recommend identifying the person you wish to be the main nominator and having that individual submit the nomination. Once the nomination letter is submitted and you are sent the link requesting more information, there will be a place to upload additional documents. This would be the place to upload additional letters of support if you have them and would like them added to the nomination. These additional letters of support (up to four letters) will be placed in your file.

Are Hilton Foundation grantees eligible for the Prize?

Yes, former and current Foundation grantees can be nominated for and receive the Prize. However, Hilton Foundation employees are not eligible to nominate organizations for the Prize, and the recipient organization is selected by an independent jury, so any organization’s status as a current or past grantee of the Foundation has no influence on the jury’s selection of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize recipient.

Does our organization need to have programs in several countries in order to be considered for the Humanitarian Prize?

No. Each year we receive nominations for eligible organizations that work in anywhere from one to more than 100 countries.

My organization is a branch/chapter office with its own 501(c)(3) status. Are we eligible?

Nominees may not be local offices or member organizations of parent organizations, or fiscally sponsored organizations. However, if your organization has a parent organization, we require that it be the nominee.

I work for a program/project initiative of a larger institution. Is my initiative eligible?

Unfortunately, all eligible nominees must have their own 501(c)(3) status. A program or project initiative of a larger institution, regardless of whether it has its own budget, is ineligible for the Prize. The institution would need to be the nominee.

How many organizations are nominated for the Hilton Humanitarian Prize each year?

Typically, over 300 organizations are nominated for the Hilton Humanitarian Prize each year.

If you have a question that is not listed above, please contact the Prize department online.