The relationship between Orient and Occident has a long history which alternates between fascination and fruitful encounters - of which Goethe’s “West-Eastern Divan” is one of the many testimonials. This line of tradition reaches back to Avicenna, after whom the prize is named, a physician and philosopher who stood for openness, tolerance and the merging of different traditions of knowledge. As such he symbolizes intercultural thinking. The present, however, is characterized by politically and religiously motivated conflicts, both national and international, and the growing prejudices arising from these in many parts of the global village. Dialogue conducted with mutual respect and tolerance, and the multilateral transfer of knowledge and culture is in many places being replaced by a tendency towards polarization, resulting in the same unreflected stereotypes which create barriers rather than overcoming them. 

The Avicenna Preis e.V. would like to contribute towards counteracting this conflict-fostering attitude. It is committed to the rapprochement of cultures by providing an intellectual-social bridge which focuses on impartial cooperation and mutual support and which understands diversity as enrichment. This task is as urgent as it is difficult and relies on all the support it can get.

In this spirit, the Avicenna Preis e.V. seeks a prizewinner (a person or institution) who forges new paths in dealing with cultures considered to be “different” or “foreign”, who builds bridges to join what is separated, and who seeks dialogue where prejudices have prevented thinking and acting in common. The Avicenna Award is intended for projects or initiatives whose aim it is to open up new perspectives and develop and implement innovative ways of intercultural and/or inter-religious exchange. These may be international, national or regional cooperations or projects. Also eligible for the Avicenna Award would be a person or organization who/which lacks the means to put a groundbreaking idea into action. Such a project, if it were to include a concept with convincing content and realistic budget planning, could potentially be realized with the prize money.

In 2009, the first Avicenna Award winners were the initiators of the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC), the former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the Spanish Head of State, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who donated the prize money to the AoC’s Youth Solidarity Fund. Their aims and approaches demonstrate in an exemplary way what content and institutional criteria a future prizewinner should fulfill. The Youth Solidarity Fund brings together youth from different cultures whose joint goal it is to promote intercultural understanding on a realistic, practical level. (Detailed information available at: www.unaocyouth.org.)

The Avicenna Award association which bestows this award with prize money of up to EUR 100,000 consists of a small number of international representatives from the fields of medicine, science, culture, economics and politics. It is a non-profit organization financed exclusively by donations.

Two independent committees are responsible for determining the prizewinner: A five-member international jury which includes the former President of the Bundestag, Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, decides on the prizewinner. Their vote is based on the preselection of the independent Advisory Board. The Advisory Board consists of people who represent the philosophy of the prize by way of their professional function and/or private commitment. The council inspects all the submitted suggestions and makes a preselection from these for the jury. 

The ceremonial presentation of the prize takes place in the Paulskirche (St. Pauls Church) in Frankfurt, which, as the cradle of German democracy, is also a symbolic venue for this prize. The Avicenna Award is organized under the auspices of the Minister President of Hesse. 

Please submit suggestions on which consensus might be reached (if possible with a short reason) by the 31st of January 2011 at the latest to:

Avicenna-Preis e.V.
Martina Bork
Friedrichstr. 13
35392 Gießen

Tel.: (0641) 966 116 23
Fax: (0641) 966 116 29
E-mail: info@avicenna-preis.com