The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Budapest invites civil society organizations, human rights institutions, and professional networks to nominate candidates for the Human Rights Tulip 2025 – a prestigious annual award presented by the Dutch government to courageous human rights defenders and organizations worldwide.

About the Human Rights Tulip

The Human Rights Tulip is an annual award presented to an individual or organization that promotes and protects human rights in innovative and impactful ways. The 2025 award will honor a global winner, chosen from candidates worldwide. The Embassy may nominate a candidate from Hungary to be considered as one of the ten finalists in this international selection process, organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.

The recipient of the Dutch Human Rights Tulip 2025 will receive €50,000 to support and expand their human rights work. Additionally, nine runners-up will each receive €5,000. All ten finalists will be invited to the Netherlands in December 2025 to join a special visitors programme and attend the award ceremony in The Hague.

Who Can Be Nominated?

Nominations are open for individuals or organizations based in Hungary who:

• Are working to protect or promote human rights;
• Use innovative approaches to achieve human rights impact;
• Have a track record of meaningful contributions to human rights work;
• Are aiming at long-term impact and extension of range;
• Would benefit from the visibility and support provided by the award.
• A basic understanding of English is helpful in order to participate fully in the visitors programme, but this is not a formal requirement.

Please note: Self-nominations will not be considered. Only nominations submitted by third-party organizations or institutions are eligible.

How to Nominate a Candidate

To nominate a candidate, please submit the following by Friday, 1 August at 23:59 CET:

1. Name and contact details of the nominee;
2. A short biography or organizational profile of the nominee (max. 300 words);
3. A description of the nominee’s human rights work, including the challenges they face and the impact they have achieved (max. 1,000 words);
4. A brief motivation for the nomination, outlining why the nominee deserves this recognition;
5. Name and contact details of the nominating organization.

Please send all nominations via e-mail.
Subject line: Nomination – Human Rights Tulip 2025

Selection Process

• A joint committee of civil society partners and Embassy representatives will review the nominations using a standardized scorecard to ensure transparency and fairness.
• The final nominee from Hungary will be selected by 1 September 2025.
• The winner of the global Human Rights Tulip will be announced in December 2025 following a final international selection round.

All nominations will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Questions?

For questions or additional information, please contact us via e-mail.