Templeton Freedom Awards

The Templeton Freedom Awards have been given by the Atlas Economic Research Foundation since 2004 using funding from the John Templeton Foundation. The awards honor work done by free-market think tanks around the world. Each year, two winners are named in each category. Winners receive a cash prize of $10,000.^[1]

Categories

Awards are given in the following 8 categories: Solutions to Poverty, Ethics & Values, Student Outreach, Social Entrepreneurship, Initiative in Public Relations, Innovative Media Award, Award for Special Achievement by a University-Based Center, and Award for Special Achievement by a Young Institute.^[2]

2010 awards

Free Market Solutions to Poverty

The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) won for undertaking a large project on regulatory reform in 2007 as part of a campaign to promote a free market economy. The project involved 130 experts from a large range of backgrounds including economists, government officials, and business leaders. Five focus groups considered the efficacy of about 5,000 regulations.^[3]

The Independent Institute of Oakland, California won for publishing the book Lessons from the Poor: Triumph of the Entrepreneurial Spirit. In this book real world examples are used to make the case for entrepreneurship as a development strategy for poor countries.^[3]

2009 awards

The following awards were made in 2009:^[4]

Solutions to Poverty

The New Economic School in the Republic of Georgia was selected for their efforts to influence the political debate in favor of free-market policies.

The Free Market Foundation of South Africa won for publishing the book "Jobs for the Jobless", a condemnation of South African labor laws said to lead to widespread unemployment.

Social Entrepreneurship

Samasource won for its programs that offer training to small businesses in Africa and introduce them to American clients.

Fundación Paraguaya was selected for its San Francisco Agricultural School that trains poor youth to become entrepreneurs.

Ethics & Values

The Conservative Institute of Slovakia was recognized for its lecture programs that have hosted distinguished speakers on the topics of economics and ethics since 2005

The Globalization Institute won for publishing "The Mythology of the Greenhouse Effect", right before the 2008 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań.

Student Outreach

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education won for its Campus Freedom Network, an effort to educate students and organize them to be activists for individual liberty.

Institute Invertir of Peru received an award for its program bringing over 200 top university students from all over Peru to learn how to start and run a their own businesses.

Initiative in Public Relations

The Centre for Civil Society (India) was recognized for its School Choice Campaign operating in seven states for its successful awareness through street theater campaign in the states of Rajasthan and Orissa, demonstration at the political rally sites of the 2009 general election, and 151 news stories in one year.

The Institute for Information on the Crimes of Communism of Sweden was awarded a prize for its approach to communicating problems under communist rule.

Innovative Media Award

The Sam Adams Alliance was recognized for Sunshine Review, a website dedicated to government transparency.

The Free to Choose Network won for its video website, Izzit.org.

Award for Special Achievement by a University-based Center

The Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship at Rockford College won for launching six courses focusing on the ethics of entrepreneurship and the ethical foundations of free society.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile was recognized for high quality research on entrepreneurship and improving curricula and teaching methods.

Award for Special Achievement by a Young Institute

Instituto Millenium of Brazil won for attracting more than 1000 students to two forums, placing more than 100 articles in newspapers and magazines, producing 30 online videos, publishing two books, and publishing a weekly newsletter with over 5000 subscribers.

The Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth won for starting one of the first essay contests in the Arabic world in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation asking students to answer the question: “Why am I a liberal?” The program received attention from 6 major newspapers, a youth radio station, and two major Egyptian political parties.

References

External links

• Templeton Freedom Awards website