Call For Nominations

The Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa  advocates for Human Rights issues through its’ specific thematic support  on LGBTIQ+ rights, Equal Rights for Women and Girls, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and protection of Human Rights Defenders. Transversal areas such as gender, youth, climate change, and human rights are a cornerstone in the activities.

The Embassy Tulip Award is intended to stimulate human rights advocacy and research, and to promote the protection of human rights in South Africa. It aims to support and strengthen the civil society network and increase awareness and appreciation of the work of human rights defenders.

Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and Human Rights Defenders play a crucial role, not only by providing access to human rights, but also, by protecting and promoting these when necessary, especially to the ones most vulnerable such as young girls, women and youth.

Nomination criteria

Individuals or organisations whose work contributes to the protection of Human Rights, within the six human rights priorities of the Netherlands, can be nominated. These priority areas are freedom of expression and internet, freedom of religion and belief, equal rights for LGBTI-persons, human rights defenders and civic space, tackling impunity for serious crimes, equal rights for women and girls (including SRHR).

The recognition and financial support from the Embassy Tulip Award should make a real difference for the winner. The winner will be made public so the additional visibility should enhance, and not harm, the individual selected or their work.

Therefore, the candidate should not:

• have a high profile.
• have been previously recognized for their work in human rights, or;
• receive substantial funds or other support from international donors or the South African government.

The winner will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Impact: having a tangible impact in their field, either in terms of raised awareness, successful lobbying, or other demonstrable impact.
• Courage: showing personal courage and leadership through their work.
• Creativity and innovation: using creative ideas and innovative approaches to further their cause.

Selection procedure

The nomination period opens from 1 October up to 31 October 2025. The nomination should be substantiated bearing in mind the selection criteria. Nominations received after 31 October 2025 will not be considered. After the nominations, three finalists will be selected in November upon which the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will select the final winner, that will be announced in December.

Prize

The Embassy Tulip Award prize will be announced during an award ceremony. The winner will receive 5,000 EUR towards their work, to continue and strengthen their impact. The first two runners-up will be invited to the event and receive a Certificate of Honor. The work of the best three candidates will be presented during the award ceremony.

How to apply

If you know a human rights defender/organization that meets the criteria, submit a nomination by sending an e-mail to pre-pcm@minbuza.nl . The title should be “Nomination for Tulip Award”, and it should contain contact details of the nominated person/organization and a short letter (maximum 2 pages) or a video explaining why the person/ organization should be rewarded. Self-nominations are not considered.

The deadline for nominations is 31 October 2025, 23:00.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us in case of any questions about the prize and the process through pre-pcm@minbuza.nl