World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child


The World's Children's Prize builds on the vision that every new generation must be given the necessary knowledge and experience to grow into tolerant, compassionate people. The WCP program engages your students, giving them knowledge of the rights of the child and democracy. Our goal is a more humanitarian world, where all children's rights are respected. The program empowers children as global citizens, helping them become change agents who contribute to positive development in their country and in the world. Since its launch in 2000, 42 million children have participated, with the support of more than half a million teachers. Among the children who learn about their rights and democracy through the World's Children's Prize, the majority are vulnerable children whose rights have been violated. They include former child soldiers, debt slaves, street children, and children who have lost their parents to AIDS, genocide or the tsunami. Many of these children did not know they had rights before becoming involved with the program.
The WCP magazine, The Globe, and website are both published in several languages.
The WCP program was founded in 2000 and is run by the World's Children's Prize Foundation, based in Mariefred, Sweden. The WCPF is a non-profit organisation, independent of all political and religious affiliation, and run with support from bodies including the Swedish Postcode Lottery and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers help to implement the WCP program, including over 778 organisations, institutions and departments of education.
Every year, the WCP program begins with the selection of three Child Rights Heroes as candidates for the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child. Their stories, and the stories of the children they fight for, are presented online and in The Globe magazine, along with facts about the rights of the child and democracy. The World's Children's Prize is open to all schools and humanitarian organizations. It is supported by more than 778 organizations as well as institutions, departments of education etc. Many of them implement the program in collaboration with 40,000 – 50,000 teachers. Through the World's Children's Prize, hundreds of millions of people are presented with information on the World's Children's Prize program and accounts of rights violations facing children around the world each year.
The program concludes with a Global Vote in which children may participate until the year they turn 18. Students organise their own Global Vote Days and vote for their Child Rights Heroes. The nominee who receives the most votes is awarded the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child while the other two nominees receive the World's Children's Honorary Award.
By the time the prizes are awarded, several million children have learned about the rights of the child and democracy, with the support of around a hundred thousand involved teachers. The WCP program ends with the children voting for their Child Rights Hero in a Global Vote. The number of voting children is 7.1 million.

Patrons

Adults who perform outstanding work for the rights of the child and/or World's Children's Prize can be invited to become patrons of the World's Children's Prize. Patrons of the World's Children's Prize include Malala Yousafzai, the late Nelson Mandela from South Africa, Democracy Champion, and Freedom Fighter Xanana Gusmão, from East Timor. Its patrons also include Queen Silvia of Sweden, and Child Rights Champions and World Leaders Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu. Artists Loreen and Vusi "The Voice" Mahlasele are also Patrons.

World’s Children’s Prize Laureates

Since the launch of the program in 2000, more than 50 Prize Laureates have been awarded the World's Children's Prize. These role models have inspired children all over the world to demand change, and the prize money has helped improve the lives of thousands of the world's most vulnerable children. People who have made outstanding contributions to the rights of the child can be nominated for the WCPRC. Children at Global Friend schools as well as adults and organisations that support the WCP can nominate candidates for the World's Children's Prize. The three final candidates are selected by the WCP International Child Jury. All three candidates are honoured as prize laureates at the WCP ceremony at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Sweden. The recipient of the WCPRC receives SEK350,000 and the recipients of the Honorary Award receive SEK 175,000 each, to be used in their work for children. Since the year 2000, more than 40 have received awards and the prize money has given tens of thousands of the world's most vulnerable children a better life:
YearAward typeNomineeCountry
2000Anne Frank
2000Honorary AwardHector Pieterson South Africa
2000Honorary AwardIqbal Masih Pakistan
2001Asfaw YemiruEthiopia
2001Honorary AwardBarefoot College India
2001Honorary AwardThe Children's Peace MovementColombia
2002Casa AlianzaSouth America
2002Maiti Nepal Nepal
2003James Aguer AlicSouth Sudan
2003Maggy BarankitseBurundi
2003Pastoral das CriançasBrazil
2004Honorary AwardEmani DavisUnited States
2004Paul and Mercy BaskarIndia
2004Prateep Ungsongtham HataThailand
2005Dunga MothersKenya
2005Nelson MandelaSouth Africa
2005Nkosi Johnson South Africa
2006AOCMRwanda
2006Craig KielburgerCanada
2006Honorary AwardAna María Marañon de BohorquezBolivia
2006Jetsun PemaIndia
2007Betty MakoniZimbabwe
2007Honorary AwardCynthia MaungThailand, Burma, Myanmar
2007Honorary AwardInderjit KhuranaIndia
2008Agnes StevensUnited States
2008Honorary AwardJosefina CondoriPeru
2008Somaly MamCambodia
2009World's Children's Prize Decade Child Rights HeroGraça MachelSouth Africa
2011Cecilia Flores-OebandaPhilippines
2011Monira RahmanBangladesh
2011Murhabazi Namegebe, D.R.Congo
2012Anna MollelTanzania
2012Ann SkeltonSouth Africa
2012Sakena YacoobiAfghanistan
2013James Kofi AnnanGhana
2013Honorary AwardKimmie WeeksLiberia
2013Honorary AwardSompop JantrakaThailand
2014Indira RanamagarNepal
2014John WoodUnited States
2014Malala YousafzaiPakistan
2015Javier StauringUnited States
2015Kailash SatyarthiIndia
2015Prateep Ungsongtham HataThailand
2017Manuel RodriguesGuinea Bissau
2017Molly MelchingGuinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia
2017Rosi GollmannIndia and Bangladesh
2018Gabriel Mejía MontoyaColombia
2018Rachel LloydUnited States
2018EinarRomania

Safe donations

The World's Children's Prize Foundation has what is called a ‘90-account’. It is regulated by Svensk Insamlingskontroll, which monitors charitable fundraising. Svensk Insamlingskontroll protects the interests of donors and ensures that the funds raised are used appropriately.