USIP’s Women Building Peace Award honors the inspiring work of women peacebuilders whose courage, leadership, and commitment to peace stand out as beacons of strength and hope—women like Rita M. Lopidia of South Sudan, the recipient of the inaugural 2020 Women Building Peace Award.

USIP’s Women Building Peace Award represents the Institute’s commitment to highlighting the vital role of individual women who are working every day in the pursuit of peace in fragile or conflict-affected countries or regions. The award honors a woman peacebuilder whose substantial and practical contribution to peace is an inspiration and guiding light for future women peacebuilders. The award recipient will receive $10,000 to be used at the recipient’s discretion. She will be recognized at a ceremony organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C.

Because this award aims to celebrate the often overlooked yet essential role that women play in peacebuilding, USIP strongly encourages nominations of individual women who have not been previously recognized for their work in peacebuilding.

On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, the nomination process for the 2021 Women Building Peace Award will officially open. All completed nominations must be received by 2:00pm ET on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Please see below for additional details on how to nominate, including requesting a FLUXX system username and password in order to access the nomination portal.

Over the past two decades, international organizations and the U.S. government have increasingly recognized the importance of gender equality in creating enduring, peaceful societies. Women’s sustained, meaningful participation in peace processes is vital to the overall success and longevity of peace agreements. When women are included in peace processes, the resulting peace agreement is 35 percent more likely to last at least 15 years—and yet, from 1992–2019, women accounted for, on average, 6 percent of mediators and 6 percent of signatories in major peace process.

USIP has long been engaged in supporting women peacebuilders in countries affected by conflict—including civil society leaders and peace negotiators in Afghanistan, mediators in Colombia, advocates for gender equality in Pakistan, religious leaders across the Middle East advancing the rights of women and girls, and leaders of nonviolent movements around the globe.

The Women Building Peace Award both reflects the Institute’s comprehensive commitment to gender and peacebuilding and demonstrates the important role women play in peacebuilding efforts.

Before completing the nomination, please read the Guidance for Submitting Nominations document. This information provides useful instructions on the submission process and will help you determine if the nominee is eligible. The following eligibility requirements pertain to all nominees:

The nominee must be a woman of at least 18 years of age.
The nominee must be a non-U.S. citizen.
The nominee must be working to build peace in a fragile or conflict-affected country or region.
The nominee cannot be employed by USIP or have been affiliated with USIP as a contractor, grantee, fellow, or recipient of the Women Building Peace Award during the 24 months prior to the submission of this nomination application.

The selection of the award recipient will be chosen with the help of the Women Building Peace Council. The Council is a brain trust of distinguished experts and leaders who offer their guidance and support to USIP as we elevate the voices of women peacebuilders. Drawing upon their collective expertise in the fields of gender and peacebuilding, the Council’s core role is to help select the winner of the annual Women Building Peace Award.

Criteria for selecting the awardee:

Commitment to Peace: A woman whose work exemplifies a commitment to peace by preventing or resolving conflict nonviolently in a fragile or conflict-affected country or region.
Exceptional Leadership: A woman who exemplifies exceptional leadership through her vision and innovation and has earned the respect of her community in the pursuit of peace.
Outstanding Practitioner: A woman who engages as a peacebuilding practitioner in an inclusive and participatory manner with members of local, national, or international communities.
Substantial Impact: A woman whose peacebuilding work has led to tangible or demonstrable results.

Nomination applications are to be submitted using the FLUXX online portal. Only those nominating applicants for the award must register for an account. The women who are nominated do not register for a FLUXX account.

The nomination process comprises two steps.

FLUXX Account Registration. Nomination applications are to be submitted using the USIP FLUXX online portal. Nominators must first register for an account to access the FLUXX portal. All nominators must register for an account by 2:00pm ET Wednesday, January 13, 2021. The FLUXX account registration is not the nomination application.

Nomination Application Submission. Once a nominator registers for an account, they will receive login credentials to access the FLUXX online portal. With login credentials, nominators may then begin to complete a nomination application. All completed nomination applications must be received by 2:00pm ET on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Late nomination submissions will not be considered for the award.

Applicants must be nominated by another individual. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Nominators are encouraged to submit nomination applications for any individual women peacebuilders who best meet the award criteria.
All nominations must be submitted in English.
We kindly request that nominators notify the women they nominate that an application has been submitted on their behalf. If selected, recipients are expected to participate in a public ceremony, social media campaigns, and media engagements.

For additional information on how to access FLUXX, please see the FLUXX FAQs in the Guidance for Submitting Nominations.Nominators will receive a confirmation that their nomination has been received. When a decision is made regarding the finalists for the award, a general email will be sent to all nominators regarding the status of their nominee(s).

If you are unable to access the online platform for any reason, email [email protected] for assistance. All email requests will receive a response within 24 business hours.

The nomination process opens on December 1, 2020.
All nominators must register for a FLUXX account by 2:00pm ET on Wednesday, January 13, 2021.
All completed nominations must be received by 2:00pm ET on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Late nomination applications will not be considered.
Finalists for the 2021 Women Building Peace Award will be announced in summer 2021.
The sole 2021 Women Building Peace Award recipient will be announced and recognized at a ceremony organized by USIP in fall 2021.

For more details visit USIP Women Building Peace Award 2021 [$10,000 Prize] Official Webpage