Archive Event Highlight
Aurora Prize Finalists Announced at Panel Co-sponsored by the OPC
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) came together in New York to announce the finalists for the 2025 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The event, marked by powerful stories of resilience and sacrifice, underscored the vital role of journalists in amplifying humanitarian voices; something Scott Kraft, OPC president, highlighted as central to the Club’s mission.
Armine Afeyan, who leads the initiative on behalf of Aurora, opened the event by thanking those who document humanitarian work:
“You’re humanizing humanitarian work, putting a face to a place and a name to a cause,” she told the audience. “Your work offers an antidote to the apathy that otherwise threatens to override our shared humanity.”
Her remarks set the stage for Noubar Afeyan, Aurora’s co-founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, who reminded participants that the organization itself was born out of tragedy.
“Our motto is ‘gratitude in action,’” Afeyan explained, recalling how his grandfather survived a death march thanks to two German soldiers. “Aurora is built to recognize and support people who are doing that exact kind of work today. Seeing humanity in people who are at risk or suffering, and doing whatever it takes to help them, even at great personal risk.”
Over the past decade, the Aurora Prize has funded more than 500 projects, reaching 3.5 million people across 63 countries and territories. Prize recipients direct how $1 million in funding is allocated, ensuring that resources flow to local humanitarians best placed to understand and respond to crises.
This year’s selection process was among the most competitive in Aurora’s history, with 868 nominations from 104 countries reviewed by more than 80 global experts. Lord Ara Darzi, chair of the selection committee and co-director of Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, described the task of narrowing the list to just a handful as “a profound challenge.”
“We gather today to celebrate the light,” Darzi said. “Each candidate’s story is a testament to the extraordinary power of the human spirit. Their courage reminds us that compassion knows no borders.”
Ultimately, the committee expanded its usual shortlist to four finalists, reflecting the caliber of this year’s nominees. Dame Louise Richardson, a member of the committee and president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, announced them in alphabetical order:
- Sally Becker (United Kingdom), known as the “Angel of Mostar,” for evacuating children from war zones and creating a global pediatric telemedicine network.
- Dr. Jamal Eltayeb (Sudan), who has kept one of Khartoum’s last functioning hospitals open despite bombardment and shortages.
- Dr. Zouhair Lahna (Morocco), an obstetrician-gynecologist who has provided critical care in conflict and disaster zones worldwide.
- Dr. Jill Seaman (United States), co-founder of South Sudan Medical Relief, who has delivered lifesaving care to hundreds of thousands for over three decades.
Richardson emphasized the remarkable courage and impact demonstrated by all nominees, highlighting “the difficulty of the selection process given the outstanding caliber of candidates,” before congratulating the finalists and inviting them to address the audience.
The OPC’s Role
For the OPC, the partnership with Aurora reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that humanitarian struggles are not forgotten. Scott Kraft, editor at the LA Times, took the stage to remind attendees of the Club’s long tradition of honoring courageous reporting.
“Since 1939, the OPC has represented journalists who report on the world’s most urgent crises with integrity and courage,” Kraft said. “For the past eight decades, our awards have celebrated coverage of the human condition; so it is a particular pleasure to stand alongside Aurora today, recognizing individuals who embody courage, commitment, and impact.”
Kraft went on to moderate the panel discussion with members of Aurora’s Selection Committee, including Dame Louise Richardson and Lord Ara Darzi. Their conversation illuminated how difficult it was to narrow down 868 nominations from 104 countries to just four finalists.
“What we saw this year was not only the diversity of crises but also the diversity of responses,” Richardson said. “Every candidate put themselves at risk to save others. Choosing among them was humbling.”
Darzi added that the committee worked to avoid bias toward “the latest tragic headlines” and instead honored individuals with long-term, transformative impact.
Voices from the Field
The finalists themselves spoke movingly about their motivations. Dr. Eltayeb, joining via audio from Sudan, explained why he stayed amid bombardments:
“I did not stay because I was fearless. I stayed because people were injured and needed someone to stand beside them. This recognition is not mine alone—it belongs to every soul who chose compassion over fear.”
Becker recalled witnessing a 10-year-old girl in Bosnia lose her arm without anesthesia but insist that her brother receive the only available dose of medicine. “That moment made me realize I had to continue this work,” she said. Years later, Becker attended the girl’s wedding in New York, a testament to the lasting impact of humanitarian intervention.
Dr. Seaman reflected on her decades in South Sudan, where treatable diseases once wiped out half the local population. “You don’t seek out a war zone,” she said. “You find yourself in a place where suffering is overwhelming, and you respond with your shared humanity.”
Looking Ahead
The event also revealed sobering truths. Global humanitarian need is growing as funding declines, while “inhumanitarians,” as Afeyan put it, are increasingly emboldened. Yet the stories of the finalists, coupled with the journalists who document them, showed the power of individual action.
Kraft closed the panel by emphasizing the overlap between Aurora’s mission and the OPC’s. “Journalists and humanitarians are bound by a common duty,” he said. “We bear witness, we tell stories, and we remind the world that indifference is never an option.”
As the finalists continue their lifesaving work, Aurora and the OPC will ensure their stories reach audiences that can support and sustain them. Together, they are carrying forward the idea at the heart of Aurora’s motto: gratitude in action.
Watch the entire program here:
