Purpose of the Award and General Guidelines

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) seeks to honor an organization or an individual that has made significant contributions toward securing the full enjoyment of the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status, anywhere in the world.

Through this award, we hope to bring about public recognition to an organization or individual committed to the struggle for human rights. We seek nominations for organizations and individuals from all regions of the world and from as wide a range of communities as possible. We welcome nominations for younger as well as more established organizations and individuals.

The award recipient will receive a cash award. The individual award recipient or one designated representative from an organizational award recipient will be flown to the United States to be honored at an annual springtime ceremony.

The Felipa Awards is named in honor of Felipa de Souza, a woman convicted and tortured in Brazil by the Portuguese Inquisition in 1591 for having sexual relationships with other women.
Award Criteria

In reviewing the candidates, the following criteria will be considered and evaluated:

1. Demonstrated leadership and a record of outstanding achievements in the field
2. Practical work in the field and in difficult circumstances
3. Demonstrated capacity to establish links and build lasting coalitions with others struggling for human rights, gender equality, and/or social and economic justice
4. Predominant activities in developing countries or with marginalized communities
5. Potential impact of the award in supporting and strengthening candidates' work in the future

A final decision regarding the award will be made by the Board of Directors of IGLHRC in consultation with IGLHRC's International Advisory Board and staff. The Board of Directors will release its decision in February 2004.

Nomination Process

Felipa nominations are accepted year-round.

Felipa nominations should be mailed, faxed, or emailed to the address below before October 15, 2003 in order to qualify for the 2004 award. If you do not receive a confirmation by November 1st, this may mean that your nomination did not reach us in time; we will file your nomination for consideration in the next yearly cycle.

Nominations may be made by anyone, including the candidates themselves.

We no longer accept nominations for posthumous awards.

If possible, nominations should be submitted in English, although we can accept nominations in most languages.

All nominations must include:

1. Full contact information for both the nominator and the candidate. This includes: name and address and where available phone, fax, and email.
2. A letter of nomination. This letter should not be more than 3 pages long (about 1,500 words) and should answer the following questions:
   
   1. Is the candidate a leader in the field and does the candidate have a record of outstanding achievements in the field?
   2. What are some examples of the candidate's practical work in the field (particularly those carried out under difficult circumstances)?
   3. Has the candidate established links and built lasting coalitions with others struggling for human rights, gender equality, and/or social and economic justice?
   4. What proportion of candidate's work takes place among or benefits marginalized communities and/or communities in the developing world?
   5. What would be the impact of the award in supporting and strengthening candidate's work in the future?
3. Two letters of support
4. For organizations, nominations must also include the mission statement of the organization.

Nominations (either individual or organization) can also include additional and optional supporting materials such as brochures, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, videos, or other descriptions of the candidate's work.

Deadline for nominations: October 15, 2003

Please send your nominations to:

By Mail:

Felipa Awards
IGLHRC
1375 Sutter Street, Suite 222
San Francisco, CA 94109
USA

By Fax:

Felipa Awards
IGLHRC
Fax: +1-415-561-0619

By Email: iglhrc@iglhrc.org

For more information, please go to the Felipa Award page on the IGLHRC web site.