Peace and Humanitarian Awards: Nobel, Gandhi Prize and More
Exam notes on peace and humanitarian awards: the Nobel Peace Prize, the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Indira Gandhi Prize, refugee and freedom awards and their winners.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
Awards given for peace, relief and humanitarian work form a small, well defined group, and question papers return to them because each award has a fixed founding year, a fixed awarding body and a short list of famous winners. This note keeps to those three facts for every award, since a paper almost never asks anything else. Where an award of this kind has been given to an Indian or to an Indian organisation, that name is the one most likely to be asked.
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize was created by the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish chemist who invented dynamite, and it was first awarded in 1901 to Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, and Frederic Passy, a French peace campaigner. It is the only Nobel Prize not awarded in Sweden: the Norwegian Nobel Committee chooses the winner and the ceremony is held in Oslo, while the other prizes are given in Stockholm, all on 10 December, the anniversary of Nobel's death. The prize may go to a person or to an organisation, and this is the point papers test. The International Committee of the Red Cross has received it three times, in 1917, 1944 and 1963; the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has received it twice, in 1954 and 1981; and it has also gone to the United Nations peacekeeping forces in 1988, to Medecins Sans Frontieres in 1999 and to the World Food Programme in 2020.
Indians and the Nobel Peace Prize
Two names are asked. Mother Teresa received the prize in 1979 for her work among the destitute of Kolkata; she had already received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1962 and the Templeton Prize in 1973, and she was given the Bharat Ratna in 1980. Kailash Satyarthi received the prize in 2014, shared with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, for the struggle against child labour; he founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan. Mahatma Gandhi was nominated several times but never received the prize, a fact examiners like to state as a question.
The Gandhi Peace Prize
| Point asked | Answer |
|---|---|
| Instituted in | 1995, the 125th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi |
| Given by | Government of India, through the Ministry of Culture |
| Amount | One crore rupees, with a citation and a plaque |
| Open to | Any person or institution, of any nationality, race, creed or gender |
| Jury headed by | The Prime Minister of India |
| First recipient | Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania |
Other names from this award are worth a line each: the Ramakrishna Mission in 1998, Baba Amte in 1999 for his work among people affected by leprosy, the Indian Space Research Organisation in 2014, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman in 2019, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh in 2020 and Gita Press of Gorakhpur in 2021. Note that the prize is given for social, economic and political change through non-violent means, and that it may be given to an institution, which is why ISRO and a publishing house appear in the list.
The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development
- Instituted in 1986 by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
- Carries a cash award of twenty-five lakh rupees and a citation.
- Presented on 19 November, the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
- Winners asked in papers include Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987, Kofi Annan in 2003, Angela Merkel in 2013, the Indian Space Research Organisation in 2014 and Manmohan Singh in 2017.
Other peace and humanitarian awards
| Award | Given by, and the fact asked |
|---|---|
| Ramon Magsaysay Award | Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Manila; instituted 1957 in memory of a President of the Philippines; called Asia's Nobel Prize; first Indian recipient Vinoba Bhave, 1958 |
| Right Livelihood Award | A Swedish foundation, instituted 1980; called the Alternative Nobel Prize |
| Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought | European Parliament, instituted 1988; named after the Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov |
| Nansen Refugee Award | UNHCR; named after Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees and a Nobel Peace laureate of 1922 |
| UNESCO Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize | UNESCO, instituted 1989; among its early winners were Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk |
| Templeton Prize | Instituted 1972; its first recipient, in 1973, was Mother Teresa |
| Seoul Peace Prize | Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation, instituted 1990; awarded to Narendra Modi in 2018 |
| Florence Nightingale Medal | International Committee of the Red Cross, instituted 1912, for nurses; India also gives its own National Florence Nightingale Awards to nurses |
How to revise this group
For each award learn only four things: the year it began, the body that gives it, the money if it is a well known figure, and one or two winners, preferably Indian. Then learn the three pairs that examiners use as traps: the Nobel Peace Prize is decided in Norway while the other Nobels are decided in Sweden; the Gandhi Peace Prize is from the Government of India while the Indira Gandhi Prize is from a private trust; and the Magsaysay Award is called Asia's Nobel while the Right Livelihood Award is called the Alternative Nobel.
Exam Point of View
Three facts decide these questions: the founding year, the awarding body and the winner. Fix the Nobel Peace Prize apart from the other Nobels, because the commonest question is where it is decided and given, and the answer is Norway and Oslo. Expect a question on an organisation winning a peace prize, where the Red Cross with three Nobel Peace Prizes is the favourite answer. On the Indian side, learn the Gandhi Peace Prize completely, since its year of institution, its amount of one crore rupees, its first recipient and the fact that it can go to an institution are all asked. Keep the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Indira Gandhi Prize apart: one is given by the Government of India, the other by a memorial trust, and their amounts differ. Finally, learn the nicknames, because a paper may simply ask which award is called Asia's Nobel Prize or the Alternative Nobel.
Important Facts
| First Nobel Peace Prize | 1901, to Henry Dunant and Frederic Passy |
|---|---|
| Nobel Peace Prize awarded at | Oslo, Norway, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee |
| Date of the Nobel ceremonies | 10 December, the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel |
| Organisation with three Nobel Peace Prizes | International Committee of the Red Cross (1917, 1944, 1963) |
| Indian Nobel Peace laureates | Mother Teresa (1979) and Kailash Satyarthi (2014) |
| Gandhi Peace Prize instituted | 1995, the 125th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi |
| Gandhi Peace Prize amount | One crore rupees, with a citation and a plaque |
| First Gandhi Peace Prize | Julius Nyerere, first President of Tanzania (1995) |
| Gandhi Peace Prize jury head | The Prime Minister of India |
| Indira Gandhi Prize instituted | 1986, by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust |
| Indira Gandhi Prize amount | Twenty-five lakh rupees |
| Asia's Nobel Prize | Ramon Magsaysay Award, instituted 1957, given at Manila |
| Alternative Nobel Prize | Right Livelihood Award, instituted 1980 |
| Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought | Given by the European Parliament, instituted 1988 |
| Nansen Refugee Award | Given by the UNHCR, named after Fridtjof Nansen |
| First Templeton Prize | Mother Teresa, in 1973 |
Practice MCQs on this topic
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in which city?
- A.Stockholm
- B.Oslo
- C.Geneva
- D.Copenhagen
Show answer
Alfred Nobel's will placed the peace prize in the hands of a Norwegian body, so the winner is chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the prize is presented at Oslo, the capital of Norway.
Read the full explanation →The first Nobel Peace Prize, in 1901, was awarded to Frederic Passy and:
- A.Henry Dunant
- B.Fridtjof Nansen
- C.Woodrow Wilson
- D.Theodore Roosevelt
Show answer
The Swiss humanitarian Henry Dunant, whose account of the battlefield at Solferino led to the founding of the Red Cross and to the first Geneva Convention, shared the first Nobel Peace Prize of 1901 with the French campaigner Frederic Passy.
Read the full explanation →Which organisation has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three times?
- A.UNICEF
- B.International Committee of the Red Cross
- C.Medecins Sans Frontieres
- D.World Food Programme
Show answer
The correct answer is B, the International Committee of the Red Cross, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917 and 1944 for its work in the two World Wars and again in 1963, the centenary year of its founding.
Read the full explanation →Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in which year?
- A.1973
- B.1979
- C.1980
- D.1962
Show answer
Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work among the destitute and the dying in Kolkata through the Missionaries of Charity, which she had founded in 1950.
Read the full explanation →Kailash Satyarthi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 jointly with:
- A.Malala Yousafzai
- B.Nadia Murad
- C.Abiy Ahmed
- D.Maria Ressa
Show answer
The prize for 2014 was shared by Kailash Satyarthi of India, who founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan against child labour, and Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, who campaigned for girls' education and who remains the youngest person to receive any Nobel Prize.
Read the full explanation →The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in which year?
- A.1969
- B.1991
- C.1995
- D.2000
Show answer
The Government of India instituted the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995, the year of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and it is administered by the Ministry of Culture.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize?
- A.Nelson Mandela
- B.Julius Nyerere
- C.Baba Amte
- D.Desmond Tutu
Show answer
The correct answer is B, Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, who received the Gandhi Peace Prize in its first year, 1995, for his work for peace and for the poor of Africa.
Read the full explanation →The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in:
- A.1984
- B.1986
- C.1991
- D.1995
Show answer
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust instituted this prize in 1986, two years after Indira Gandhi's death, and it is presented on 19 November, her birth anniversary, with a cash award of twenty-five lakh rupees.
Read the full explanation →The Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia's Nobel Prize, was instituted in memory of a President of which country?
- A.Indonesia
- B.The Philippines
- C.Malaysia
- D.Thailand
Show answer
Ramon Magsaysay was President of the Philippines and died in an air crash in 1957; the award was created in the same year in his memory, it is presented at Manila, and it honours greatness of spirit in service to the people of Asia.
Read the full explanation →The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded by:
- A.The European Parliament
- B.The United Nations General Assembly
- C.UNESCO
- D.The Russian Academy of Sciences
Show answer
It is named after Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet nuclear physicist who became a campaigner for civil liberties and himself won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.
Read the full explanation →The Nansen Refugee Award is given by which organisation?
- A.UNICEF
- B.The International Committee of the Red Cross
- C.UNHCR
- D.The World Health Organization
Show answer
It is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer who was the first High Commissioner for Refugees under the League of Nations and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following was the first recipient of the Templeton Prize?
- A.Mother Teresa
- B.The Dalai Lama
- C.Desmond Tutu
- D.Baba Amte
Show answer
The Templeton Prize was instituted in 1972 by the investor John Templeton to honour work that explores the deepest questions of life and of the spirit, and Mother Teresa received the first award in 1973, six years before her Nobel Peace Prize.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded, and why is it different?
It is awarded at Oslo in Norway, and the winner is chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Alfred Nobel's will gave this one prize to a Norwegian body, while the prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics are decided in Sweden and presented at Stockholm. All the ceremonies are held on 10 December.
Which organisation has won the Nobel Peace Prize the most times?
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which won it in 1917, 1944 and 1963. The UNHCR has won it twice, in 1954 and 1981. Among other organisations, the United Nations peacekeeping forces won in 1988, Medecins Sans Frontieres in 1999 and the World Food Programme in 2020.
When was the Gandhi Peace Prize instituted and what does it carry?
It was instituted in 1995, the 125th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi, and is given by the Government of India through the Ministry of Culture. It carries one crore rupees along with a citation and a plaque, and it is open to any person or institution of any nationality.
Who was the first recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize?
Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania, received it in 1995. Other names asked from this list are the Ramakrishna Mission in 1998, Baba Amte in 1999, the Indian Space Research Organisation in 2014 and Gita Press of Gorakhpur in 2021.
How is the Indira Gandhi Prize different from the Gandhi Peace Prize?
The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in 1986 by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, a private body, and carries twenty-five lakh rupees, presented on 19 November. The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted in 1995 by the Government of India and carries one crore rupees.
Which awards are called Asia's Nobel Prize and the Alternative Nobel Prize?
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, instituted in 1957 in memory of a President of the Philippines and given at Manila, is called Asia's Nobel Prize. The Right Livelihood Award, instituted in Sweden in 1980, is called the Alternative Nobel Prize.
Did Mahatma Gandhi receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
No. He was nominated more than once but never received it, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee has itself described this as an omission in the history of the prize. The Indian laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize are Mother Teresa in 1979 and Kailash Satyarthi in 2014.
Sources
- The Nobel Peace Prize: complete list of laureates and the terms of Alfred Nobel's will — The Nobel Foundation
- Gandhi Peace Prize: constitution of the jury, amount and list of recipients — Ministry of Culture, Government of India
- Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development — Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust
- Nansen Refugee Award — United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
