The call for nominations for the 2020 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding is now CLOSED.
History of the Fulbright Prize
The Fulbright Prize was established by the Fulbright Association to honor extraordinary individuals and organizations that contribute to international understanding, cooperation and peace. First awarded to South African President Nelson Mandela in 1993 and most recently to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for more than 25 years, the Fulbright Prize has recognized heads of state, foundation leaders, global non-profits and others that have demonstrated a deep and sustained commitment to solving global problems through peaceful dialogue and to strengthening educational and cultural ties across borders.
A full list of Laureates—including Jimmy Carter, Corazon Aquino, Vaclav Havel, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan, Sadako Ogata, Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, and Bill and Melinda Gates—can be found here.
The Fulbright Association acknowledges the Coca Cola Foundation for helping to establish the Fulbright Prize, and the late John B. Hurford, a Fulbright Scholar to India, for creating the Fulbright Prize Endowment. Committed alumni and friends of the Fulbright Program have added to the endowment over the years. Each event is made possible by additional individual donations and corporate sponsorship.
Nomination Criteria
An International Selection Committee welcomes nominations of widely respected individuals whose careers have had global impact and exemplify the vision of the Fulbright Program which Senator J. William Fulbright began after WWII. Nominees should promote international understanding, cultural respect, and global cooperation to solve problems and create a peaceful world. Nominees can come from any sector and any country, and they do not have to be alumni of the Fulbright Program, though that is a consideration.
The selected Laureate must attend the Fulbright Prize Ceremony and deliver a substantive address to Fulbright alumni and distinguished guests.
Nomination Process
- Nominations are welcome for individuals and organizations.
- Nominations may be submitted by anyone, regardless of their association with the Fulbright Program or the Fulbright Association.
- Written submissions must be substantive and specific, two single-spaced pages in length, detailing biographical or institutional information, and outlining the nominee’s accomplishments and impact. This essay should make the case for the nominee based on their contributions to advancing international understanding and the vision of the Fulbright Program which Senator J. William Fulbright began after WWII.
- Additional materials such as links to pertinent biographical or professional information may be submitted, but they will not be considered part of the official nomination.
- Nominations will be kept confidential and forwarded to the selection committee. The committee serves without compensation, and their identities are held in confidence until the Laureate is announced, to avoid undue influence.
- As a nominator, you must include your email, telephone number, and professional affiliation so that the Fulbright Association may contact you. If your nominee is chosen, you can choose to have your role made known to the public.
- Please submit nominations via email by January 20, 2020 to prize@fulbright.org with the subject line “Fulbright Prize Nomination 2020”. Materials must be submitted in PDF format.
- Announcement of the Fulbright Prize Laureate will take place once a Laureate has agreed to the timing and location of the Prize Ceremony.
Despite her youth, Greta has made the greatest contribution to alerting & uniting the world’s people to the biggest challenge we face as a people…Fulbrighters included!
As a former Fulbright Scholar to London’s Royal College of Music, for 2 consecutive years, in Advanced Violin Performance, having studied with The Greatest Violinist of All Time, JASCHA HEIFETZ, and whilst in London, with ONLY PEER of HEIFETZ, NATHAN MILSTEIN, later recipient of The Kennedy
Center of Honour Medal in December, 1987, by President Ronald & Nancy Reagan, which followed my great honour of President Jimmy Carter’s Invitation
to me to perform a Violin Recital in The White House, at The State Dinner, honouring his visiting guest, French Premier, Raymond Barre, & entire French
Cabinet, playing special violin repertoire requested by President Carter, & my own choice of Great Franco-Belgium Violinist-Composer, Eugen Ysaye, to
Salute the French Premier & People’s of France + French Culture, (with President Carter writing to me of how ‘thrilled we were’ upon my Ysaye Solo
Sonate for Violin, as French Premier Barre’s father had been a close personal friend of the Great Ysaye), I am delighted to nominate a Grand Person
who is acknowledged as The Greatest Men’s Tennis Champion of All Time, having been named The Number 1 Player for Three Consecutive Decades,
just recently in Australia, The Emperor of not only Men’s Tennis but of All Male Athletes in The World at this Time, January 9, 2020, RAFAEL NADAL,
as the 2020 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding recipient for his unparalleled pre-eminence in the Professional Sport of Tennis, and for ‘RAFA’S’
Great Kindnesses in establishing The RAFAEL NADAL ACADEMY in his native Southern Spain Country, teaching the *poorest of the poor children how to
Play and Become at the least, good to fine to Superb to Champion to Great Champion Tennis Player’s, all the while, tennising The Tennis through his
extraordinary genuineness and outreached graciousness to Fans The World Over, and to All Opponents he has played against whether winning or even
more importantly, losing, by embracing their person-hood, perseverance, fidelity to the Game of Tennis and Sport, not to mention RAFA NADAL’S ON
COURT REVERED PROFESSIONALISM AND GRACIOUSNESS TO OPPONENTS, UMPIRES, THE BALL BOYS AND GIRLS, AND TO HIS BY NOW,
IN THE BILLIONS OF NADAL FANS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, BRINGING EMPATHY AS IN THE SEPTEMBER 2019 U.S. OPEN MEN’S FINAL
UPON WINNING HIS FOURTH U.S. MEN’S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP YET ON-COURT CEREMONY REMEMBERING A VERY CLOSE FRIEND BACK
IN SPAIN’S TRAGEDY OF LOSING A BRAND NEW BORN BABY, WIPING HIS TEARS AWAY, WITH A MOSTLY AMERICAN CROWD TEARING UP
IN SYNC WITH ‘OUR’ RAFA, IN A PAUSE OF MOMEMTARY SILENCE, DISPLAYING REMARKABLE HUMILITY AND LOYALTY FOR A FRIEND WHO
RAFA KNEW WHEN HE WAS NOT THE FAMOUS RAFA NADAL, BUT STILL THE SAME PERSON HUMBLY THANKING ALL HIS US FANS AND
PRAISING THE RUSSIAN UNEXPECTED SUPERB OPPONENT IN AN ON-COURT BEFORE CEREMONY EMBRACE OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND
BRAVO’S TO DANIIL MEDNEVDEV WHICH DREW PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD TOGETHER TO APPLAUD YOUNGER DANIIL ALMOST
AS ENTHUSIASTICALLY AS THE EXTRAORDINARY APPLAUSE OF IDOL WORSHIP FUSED WITH LOVE OF RAFAEL NADAL AS A GRAND PERSON
WHOM I BELIEVE IF DESIRED, CAN BECOME PRESIDENT OF SPAIN IF HE SO DESIRES!!!!!!! RAFA NADAL REPRESENTS ALL THAT IS GOOD ON
THIS EARTH AND IN HEAVEN WHICH NO MORE TESTAMENT CAN MATCH ~ HE LOVES PEOPLE AND GIVES TO THE LEAST, ALWAYS RECALLING HIS EARLY BEGINNINGS IN SPAIN, AND HONOURING THE NADAL FAMILY NAME THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ~ RAFA NADAL’S
CONSISTENT EXAMPLE OF DAILY HARD WORK, HUMILITY AND FIDELITY TO FAMILY, WORK, COMMUNITY NOW EXTENDING THROUGHOUT
OUR WORLD AND GRANDEUR AS A GREAT BLOK, WARRANT THE 2020 J. WILLIAM FULBRIGHT PRIZE FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING
WITH MORE IN HIS FUTURE TO ENRICH OUR WORLD AND ALL PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD WITH NO MARGINS TOWARD LESS FORTUNATE
BROTHERS OR SISTERS ON THIS EARTH!!!!!!!!! I am Honoured to Nominate RAFAEL NADAL, GREATEST TENNIS PLAYER IN THE WORLD AND
TEACHER OF POOREST OF THE POOR CHILDREN HOW TO LEARN SCHOOL CURRICULUM, TENNIS AND RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOUR TOWARD
ALL, FOR THE HIGHEST CONSIDERATION AS RECIPIENT OF THE 2020 J. WILLIAM FULBRIGHT PRIZE OF INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING
ON THIS JANUARY THE NINTH DAY, IN THE NEW YEAR, 2020, AND SEND HEARTFELT THANKS TO MY LATE FRIEND, THE HONOURABLE
SENATOR, J. WILLIAM FULBRIGHT, AND HIS FAMILY, FOR ALL THE SENATOR’S EXTRAORDINARY SUPPORT OF MY BRITISH FILM DILEMNA,
AND THE WONDROUS LUNCHEON WE ENJOYED THE DAY FOLLOWING MY WHITE HOUSE VIOLIN RECITAL FOR PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
AND HIS VISITING GUEST, FRENCH PREMIER, RAYMOND BARRE, SEPTEMBER 16, 1977, in THE SENATE DINING ROOM!!! May God Bless All ~
Elisabeth Matesky (aka, Elisabeth Anne Matesky, on Facebook) January 9, 2020
Greta Thunberg
How about someone from the arts for a change? I’d recommend Daniel Barenboim with his East-West orchestra or Yo Yo Ma with his Silk Road Project. Yo-yo Ma has been working for years on bringing different people together through music. Marilyn Callander
I nominate President Barack Obama 2020 for the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding