The Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize (Grinnell Prize), created by Grinnell College, is an annual program honoring individuals who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and "who show creativity, commitment, and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change.""4 Under 40 Making a Difference for Social Justice.". The Nation. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
Each year a $50,000 award is given, with half going to the individual and half to their organization."Grinnell Prize" Grinnell College. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
History The Innovator for Social Justice Prize program was announced in November, 2010.
The idea for Innovator for Social Justice Prize originated with Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., who began his tenure as Grinnell's thirteenth president in August 2010."Grinnell College Announces Winners of the $100,000 2011 Young Innovation Social Justice Prize." SocialEnterpriseLive.com. Referenced 25 September 2011. In underscoring the college's longstanding belief in social justice as a core tenet of its liberal arts academic mission, President Kington noted that the prize was created to "encourage and recognize young individuals who embody our core values and organizations that share our commitment to change the world."
The program drew more than 1,000 nominations from 66 countries in its initial year."Kofi Annan Wins International Social Justice Prize" GhanaNaija.com. Referenced 25 September 2011.
Nomination criteria Nominations are evaluated based on how candidates have embraced the values of a liberal arts education, including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, free inquiry and commitment to using and sharing knowledge to better humanity."Social Justice Prize Recipient Announced". The Scarlet and Black. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
In seeking nominations each fall, Grinnell encourages entries from across a wide range of fields, including science, medicine, the environment, humanities, business, economics, education, law, public policy, social services, religion and ethics, as well as projects that cross these boundaries. Nominations are also encouraged from areas that may not have been traditionally viewed as directly connected to social justice, such as the arts and business. Nominees may be U.S. citizens or nationals of other countries; no affiliation to Grinnell College is required."Nominations". Grinnell College. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
Selection committee Committee members are recognized individuals who work for social change in various capacities – largely Iowa-based – and represent the college's faculty, student body, alumni, staff and trustees, plus prominent individuals not formally affiliated with Grinnell.
List of winners by year 2011 Boris Bulayev, president, and Eric Glustrom, executive director, Educate! "EDUCATE!'S Winner of the 2011 Young Innovator for Social Justice" NextBillion.net. Referenced 25 September 2011. James Kofi Annan, executive director, Challenging Heights"Ghanaian Wins International Social Justice Award" Ghana News Agency. Referenced 25 September 2011. Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, co-founder and director emeritus, Encounter "Rabbi Melissa Weintraub wins $100,000 as Young Innovator." Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Referenced 25 September 2011.
2012 Cristi Hegranes, founder and executive director, Global Press Institute"2012 Grinnell Prize Awarded to Global Press Institute Founder Cristi Hegranes." Newstex. Referenced April 2014. Jacob Wood, co-founder and chief executive officer, and William McNulty, co-founder and managing director, Team Rubicon"Grinnell College Selects Team Rubicon Founders as 2012 Recipients of Social Justice Prize" Team Rubicon USA. Referenced April 2014. Jane Chen and Linus Liang, co-founders, Embrace"Traveling to the Heartland of America: Grinnell, Iowa" Embrace Global. Referenced April 2014.
2013 Emily Arnold-Fernandez, founder and executive director, Asylum Access Elizabeth Scharpf, founder and chief instigating officer, and Julian Ingabire Kayibanda, chief operations officer in Rwanda, SHE (Sustainable Health Enterprises) "Elizabeth Schaprf and Julian Kayibanda are 2013 Grinnell Prize Winners" SHE. Referenced April 2013.
2014 Ani Vallabhaneni and Lindsay Stradley, co-founders, Sanergy Adam Kircher and Kiah Williams, co-founders and co-directors, SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine)
2015 Deborah Osei-Agyekum, co-founder, Golden Baobab Maria Vertkin, founder, Found in Translation
2016 Luna Ranjit, founder, Adhikaar Diana Jue Rajasingh and Jackie Stenson, co-founders, Essmart
2017 Gina L. Clayton, founder, Essie Justice Group
2018 Mélanie Marcel, founder, SoScience
2019 Shafiq R. Khan, founder, Empower People
2020 Alexander McLean, founder, Justice Defenders
References
External links Official Site Grinnell College Website