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With the inaugural Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity ceremony to be held on April 24, Yerevan is buzzing with anticipation. Residents and international guests alike are curious to know the name of the first ever laureate of the prize, the webpage of the prize reports. 

"It is a boon to Armenia to support the Aurora Prize," says Charles Aznavour, French Armenian singer, songwriter.

Gareth Evans, President emeritus of the International crisis Group also reflected on the prize: “I think this is a very special prize because it honors not only people who've made a contribution to humanitarian causes - there are many of those around the world - but it honors those who've taken great personal risks in order to do that. And, it also awards the organizations that stand behind them, which no other prize anywhere does, and I think that's a very important form of recognition."

Publisher of The California Courier Harut Sassounian suggest that "The Aurora Prize is a creative idea; it's a novelty. When someone thinks in a new way and with a new approach, it excites not just others, but also Armenians. You have to give back - it's a two-way street."

“I love it that people keep trying to make an effort to draw attention to worldwide suffering, but I also know that there is so much suffering that goes on, all the time. We are here talking about Armenia in particular, but there has been a war going on in Congo, in Africa, for more than 10 years now, and more than five million people have died. And most people are not even aware of that. So I tend to be a little bit skeptical, but I admire the fact that the effort is being made,” Ted Koppel, journalist, senior contributor to the CBS Sunday Morning News shares hos perspective.

Hina Jilani, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human rights activist notes: “There may be many more whom we don’t see, but those that we do see, we must honor, and we must make them an example for others so that everybody is willing to take action when they know it is right to do something and not just be silent.”

To remind, the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity will be granted annually to an individual whose actions have had an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. The Aurora Prize Laureate will be honored with a US $100,000 grant. In addition, that individual will have the unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired their work to receive a US $1,000,000 award.