The call for proposals "Our Freedom Prize 2022" closed on 10 January. 15-25 year olds were invited to submit a form to propose a person or organisation whose fight for freedom they would like to publicise.

In total, 370 entries from all over the world were received by the Freedom Prize organisers. After studying the duplicates, the international panel of judges will have to study 274 proposals from people and organisations in the next few days in order to collectively determine the three people or organisations whose struggles are, in their opinion, the most representative of a fight for freedom in 2022.

370 entries from 1,374 young people from around the world 

Each year, the Freedom Prize is very well attended. For this year's edition, 1,374 young people aged 15 to 25 took part and wished to defend the fight for freedom of the person or organisation of their choice. The majority of the proposals came from France, but among all those received, some were sent by young people from Germany, Canada, China, Croatia, the United States, Mauritania and Tunisia.

Educational support from the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace

Finally, among these 370 proposals, 291 are the result of the pedagogical support provided by the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace, which intervened during the months of November and December in 35 classes in Normandy in order to raise awareness of the Freedom Prize among 862 high school, CFA and BTS students.

The International Institute for Human Rights and Peace also intervened, in person or by videoconference, in classes located in Nantes, Lyon, Saint-Georges de Reintembault in Brittany but also in other countries: Zagreb in Croatia, Nouakchott in Mauritania and Tunis in Tunisia.

The strong mobilisation of associative networks and structures such as Unis-Cité, AFEV and Les Francas should also be noted.

Next stage: the deliberations of the international jury in Normandy

After studying the applications and merging the duplicates, 274 people and organisations will be studied by the international panel of judges during the deliberations to be held from 9 to 11 February in Normandy.

The panel of judges is made up of 24 young people aged 15 to 25 from 13 different countries: France, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Poland, Denmark, Burkina Faso, Togo, Spain, Georgia, India, Madagascar and Croatia. It will be chaired by Rony Brauman, President of Médecins Sans Frontières from 1982 to 1994.

Their mission will be to deliberate and select 3 nominees for the Freedom Prize 2022 from the 274 proposals. 

These 3 nominees will then be decided by an online vote open from 15 March to 25 April to all 15-25 year olds worldwide.