Every year, we receive hundreds of nominations from around the world for the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
Nominations are carefully vetted and reviewed which leads to a shortlist of finalists. The final selection is made by an independent international panel of distinguished jurors.
The nomination period for the 2023 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize is now closed.
Nominator qualifications
- The nominator should have direct knowledge of the nominated organization’s work.
- The nominator may not be an officer or employee—or any other individual receiving remuneration for his or her services from the nominated organization. Board members may nominate providing they receive no payment for their service.
- The nominator may not be a family member of an officer or employee of the nominated organization.
- The nominator may not be the founder of the nominated organization.
- The nominator may not be a Conrad N. Hilton Foundation employee, board member, Prize juror or a family member of a Foundation employee, board member, or Prize juror.
- The nominator may not be a Hilton family member.
Nominee eligibility
- Nominees must be organizations, not individuals.
- Nominees must be established, nongovernmental, publicly supported charitable organizations. U.S. Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt status—or the equivalent for international organizations—will determine eligibility. (International nominees will be contacted by the Foundation for appropriate documentation.)
- Nominees must be legally established for at least five years in order to be considered.
- Nominees must have their own audited financial statements for at least five years.
- Nominees must have expenditures greater than U.S. $750,000 in their most recent audited fiscal year of operation.
- Nominees may not be local offices or member organizations of parent organizations or fiscally sponsored organizations.
- Nominees may not be specific programs within organizations or university-based projects.
- Nominees may not be academic institutions, such as colleges or universities that provide educational degrees, however, nominees may be an affiliate of academic institutions so long as they maintain an independent tax-exempt status, or equivalent for international organizations, and produce their own audited financials.
Evaluation considerations
The nomination letter should emphasize the organization’s accomplishments rather than future goals. Both historic and recent performance should be addressed. Following are elements to consider in describing your nominee’s work:
- 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.
- Prioritization of diversity, equity and inclusion in strategies, programs and operation.
- Demonstration of effective partnerships to leverage further impact.
- Prioritization of evaluating programmatic approach for continual improvement.
- Impact the Prize would have on the organization and the issue(s) the organization focuses on.
Nominator requirements and guidelines
The nomination process is done entirely online. Once an organization has been nominated, the Foundation will contact the nominee directly to ask for additional information. We strongly encourage you to nominate an organization as soon as you are able, as your nominee will have limited time to submit materials.
A nominator may only nominate one organization per year. If more than one nomination is received for an organization, the first one received will be the nomination of record, unless otherwise directed by the nominee. All other nominations will be registered as letters of support; however, no more than four letters of support will be recorded.
Please note that any attempted contact with the Hilton Humanitarian Prize jurors about the nomination could disqualify a nominee.
2023 Nomination Process and Timeline
The Nomination process is as follows:
Step 1: Once nominations open, the nominator creates an account and password by visiting the Hilton Humanitarian Prize nominations portal.
Step 2: The nominator completes the nomination form and uploads a signed nomination letter in English. Not to exceed four typed pages in 12-point font, the signed nomination letter should cite the reasons the nominee deserves the Hilton Humanitarian Prize. If a signed version of the letter cannot be uploaded, please contact us.
Step 3: The Foundation notifies the nominee through email with a request to submit additional information online. The nominee will have approximately ten business days to complete and submit their application through our online portal.
Step 4: After the nominee submits their application, it undergoes an internal review process which leads to a shortlist of finalists.
- Nominations Period: August 2022 – September 2022
- First Round of Review: Fall 2022
- Finalist Review: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
- Recipient Selection and Announcement: Summer 2023
If you have questions about the Hilton Humanitarian Prize or the nomination process, please review our FAQs or contact us.