Niwano Peace Prize
Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those who are devoting themselves to interreligious cooperation in the cause of peace,and to make their achievements known. The Foundation hopes that the prize will further promote interreligious cooperation for peace and lead to the emergence of ever more people devoting themselves to this cause.
The award is given annually and consists of a certificate, Gold Medal and an amount of 20 million Yen (roughly USD$210,000). The screening committee which decides the award is made up of religious leaders of international stature, and they select the recipient from among candidates nominated by religious leaders and other persons of intellectual stature around the world.
The Tokyo based Niwano Peace Foundation was initiated by the Japanese citizen Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the buddhist lay organisation Rissho Kosei Kai; he was one of the few non-Christian observers of the Second Vatican Council. His son Nichiko Niwano is his successor as chairman of the movement, which is dedicated to the interreligious dialogue.
Laureates
- 1983: Dom Hélder Câmara, Brazil
- 1984: Homer A. Jack, USA
- 1985: Zhao Puchu, China
- 1986: Philip A. Potter, Dominica
- 1987: World Muslim Congress, Pakistan
- 1988: not awarded
- 1989: Etai Yamada, Japan
- 1990: Norman Cousins, USA
- 1991: Dr. Hildegard Goss-Mayr, Austria
- 1992: A. T. Ariyaratne, Sri Lanka
- 1993: Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Israel
- 1994: Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
- 1995: M. Aram, India
- 1996: Marii Hasegawa, USA
- 1997: Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland
- 1998: Maha Ghosananda, Cambodia
- 1999: Community of Sant'Egidio, Italy
- 2000: Dr. Kang Won Yong, Korea
- 2001: Elias Chacour, bishop of the Melkite-Catholic Church in Israel
- 2002: Samuel Ruiz García, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico
- 2003: Dr. Scilla Elworthy
- 2004: Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), Uganda
- 2005: Dr. Hans Küng, Germany
- 2006: Rabbis for Human Rights, Israël
- 2007: Master Cheng Yen, founder of Tzu-Chi, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, Taiwan
- 2008: Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Jordan
- 2009: Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha, Uganda
- 2010: Ela Bhatt, India
- 2011: Sulak Sivaraksa
- 2012: Rosalina Tuyuc, Guatemala
- 2013: Gunnar Stålsett,Jan Arild Holbek: Gunnar Stålsett får fredspris på 1,2 millioner Vårt Land, 27 October 2013 Norway