Haven Peace Prize

Haven Peace Prize
Latin: Praemium Havenae pacis
Awarded for	efforts by individuals or organisations towards ending warfare, working for peace, or promoting fraternity and community
Location	Haven, Sanctaria
Presented by	Haven Peace Prize Committee
Reward(s)	S£1.1m
First awarded	1966 (1966)
Last awarded	2024
Currently held by	Valèria Capella (2024)

The Haven Peace Prize, named after the city of Haven in Sanctaria, is a peace award established by Haven City Council. It is awarded annually to individuals or organisations who have "made significant efforts towards ending warfare, working for peace, or promoting fraternity and community". Originally awarded to just Sanctarians, in 1975 the criteria was widened to allow any person or organisation around the International Democratic Union to be eligible for the award. It is considered the foremost peace prize to be awarded, and its presentation each year garners a lot of international attention.

The recipient is selected by the Haven Peace Prize Committee, a panel of ten individuals selected by Haven City Council. Although appointed by the city council, its members are independent of the council and the committee itself is chartered as a private body. It is typically composed of retired ambassadors, judges, and former heads of charities and civil society organisations. The presentation is made, usually each September, in the main auditorium of Haven City Theatre; since 1990 the presentation of the award has been made by the President of Sanctaria.

It has occasionally received some criticism due to the divisiveness of some of its recipients. The most recent award, in 2024, was given to Valèria Capella, a Lauchenoirian charity and youth worker, for her work in building cross-political community ties with young people in the aftermath of the the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War.

History

At the time of the award's creation, the city of Haven was a part of the Papal States of Sanctaria, a declining theocratic empire that was governed by the Church of Sanctaria. Traditionally, Church of Sanctaria seminarians who were picked to go out on mission once they entered priesthood spent some time studying and preparing in Haven; the city's nickname of Cleric City comes from the large number of seminaries and religious colleges that exist in the city.

Seeking to honour some of its past clerical residents who they believed had done good in the International Democratic Union and further afield, Haven City Council established the Haven Peace Prize, and with it gave a small endowment funded from the city treasury. The award gained prominence when their annual recipients were also independently given televised audiences with the Patriarch of the Church of Sanctaria, the Sovereign of the Papal States. As the years progressed, the award gained even international prominence, and in 1975 was opened up to any individual or organisation in the world who had, in the view of the city council, had worked for peace, sought to end warfare, or fostered community. Additionally, in the same year, the city council had the Haven Peace Prize Committee established as an independent body to oversee nominations and selections, with funding for the endowment still coming from the city treasury; this was done to avoid any political bias being perceived to be had by the city council itself.

Seeking to distance the politicians of the city council even further from the decision of the committee, from 1975 the presentation of the award moved from the council chambers to the main auditorium of the Haven City Theatre, and was presented by the committee as a whole. The tradition of the President of Sanctaria awarding the prize began in 1990 when the new President, George Sampson, was by happenstance on official visit to the city on the day of the presentation and was invited by the committee to attend and, eventually, present the award on their behalf. The incumbent President of Sanctaria has presented the award on behalf of the committee every year since.

Nomination and selection

Haven Peace Prize laureates are chosen by the Haven Peace Prize Committee, which is appointed by the Haven City Council.

Nomination

Nominations for the Haven Peace Prize are opened by the committee each January, usually with a deadline on 31 March of that year. Nominees can be either individuals or organisations, and the work for which they are being nominated for does not have to have been done in the immediately preceding year, though this is typically the case.

There are strict criteria related to who is eligible to make a nomination. As of 2021, the following eligible nominators are:

• Incumbent members of national parliaments or assemblies
• Incumbent and retired members of national judiciaries
• Previous individual recipients of the Haven Peace Prize
• Members, past and present, of the Haven Peace Prize Committee
• Senior academics (tenured, or at professor level) in the fields of sociology, law, philosophy, theology, human rights, and peace studies
• Incumbent and retired members of national diplomatic corps

There is no limit on the number of people a nominator can nominate. Nominations are kept in the strictest confidence, though the Haven Peace Prize Committee has indicated they are open to releasing names of those nominated sixty years after the nomination was made; under those plans, 2026 would see the release of the names of those nominated to receive the award in 1966. Nominations must be made in one of English, French, or Latin.

Selection

The Haven Peace Prize Committee is assisted by a small research staff. This staff provides background information on nominees for the committee, and usually provide guidance on their achievements "towards ending warfare, working for peace, or promoting fraternity and community". The decision on who the Haven Peace Prize should be awarded to is not typically made until the middle or end of August each year, with the winner being announced in the month of September; the decision is required to be unanimous.

Recipients

Recipients, also known as laureates, are presented with the prize each September in the main auditorium of Haven City Theatre. The award has, since 1990, been presented on behalf of the Haven Peace Prize Committee by the President of Sanctaria and is generally considered a highpoint of the international diplomatic calendar. Laureates receive 1.1 million Sanctarian pounds, and individuals are entitled to use the post-nominals LP (Laureatum pacis).

Year	Laureate (birth/death)		Country	Rationale
1966		Church of Sanctaria (est. 985)	Sanctaria	"for its stated mission of seeking peace throughout the nations of the world."
1967		Robert Lyons (1885—1982)	Sanctaria	"for his lifelong work in fostering community spirit in working class areas of Sanctaria."
1968		John Casement (1903—1984)	Sanctaria	"for his work with communities in non-developed countries to manage and sustain farming on non-arable land."
1969		Matthew St. John Eden (1914—1980)	Sanctaria	"for his work as an ambassador of Sanctaria during the Great War."
1970		William Jefferson (1898—1976)	Sanctaria	"for his role in organising the transport of war refugees to Sanctaria during the Great War."
1971		Terence B. Dillon (1902—1984)	Sanctaria	"to honour his work in conflict-ridden areas to protect children and vulnerable women from violence."
1972		Sr. Mary Xavier (1893—1978)	Sanctaria	"for her work in providing free healthcare to people in destitution in countries experiencing extreme poverty."
1973		Charles Shriver (1891—1982)	Sanctaria	"in honour of his work creating and managing the welfare system of the Papal States of Sanctaria, removing thousands of people from poverty."
1974		Aequitas IV (1885—1974)	Sanctaria	"for his work in ensuring peaceful and agreed transitions from theocracy to democracy in the countries of the Papal States of Sanctaria."
1975	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1976	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1977	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1978	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1979		Tzinaha (born 1949)	Xiomera	"for his non-violent struggle to bring democracy to Xiomera, and his ongoing commitment to democracy despite his imprisonment."
1980	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1981	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1982	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1983		Associjācōn dei Pantei Unaš (est. 1971)	Eiria	"for their work in expanding access to high quality, free education to children in low-income communities."
1984	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1985	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1986		Pak Ye-ju (1931—2017)	Haesan	"for safeguarding the peaceful return to democracy in Haesan."
1987	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1988	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1989	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1990	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1991	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1992	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1993	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1994	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1995	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1996	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1997	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1998	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
1999	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2000	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2001	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2002	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2003	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2004	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2005		United Nations (2002—2008)	United Nations	"for its work in creating a common body of international law, aimed at granting and protecting human rights, civil liberties, and prevention of nuclear proliferation."
2006	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2007	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2008	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2009	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2010	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2011	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2012	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2013		International Humanitarian Aid Coordination Committee (est. 2009)	World Assembly	"for its efforts in ensuring that medical facilities in conflict zones are widely known and recognised, in order to avoid inadvertent targeting and inhuman loss of life."
2014	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2015		Mariah Kruminš (born 1974)	Eiria	"for her work in ending oppression in Eiria and restoring the Eirian Republic."
2016	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2017	WIP	WIP	WIP	WIP
2018		William Lancaster (born 1987)	Eiria	"for his efforts to restore crucial rights and fair justice for the Eirian populace."
2019		Robert Smyth (born 1950)	Sanctaria	"for his efforts in achieving a peaceful conclusion to the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War through the Haven Accords."
2020		Rebecca Arnott (born 1976)	Kerlile	"for her efforts in eliminating gender discrimination in Kerlile, and her attempts to further democratise the country."
2021		Liu Mei-han (born 1964)	Laeral	"for convening the Jinyu Peace Conference in an attempt to find peace between belligerent factions, and end the Second Xiomeran Civil War."
2022		International Humanitarian Aid Coordination Committee (est. 2009)	World Assembly	"for its role in inspecting occupied territories to ensure humanitarian conditions, provision of aid, and wellbeing of occupants."
2023		The Silver Diamond (est. 1992)	Haesan	"for its brave and tireless dedication in assisting the victims of conflict, in particular the victims of the Second Roucourtain Civil War."
2024		Valèria Capella (born 19XX)	Lauchenoiria	"for her work with displaced youth to bridge divides between communists and capitalists, and building community cohesion in the aftermath of the Second Lauchenoirian Civil War."

Controversies

Due to the often political and subjective nature of determining what constitutes community, working for peace, or seeking an end to conflict, the Haven Peace Prize Committee has occasionally come under criticism for the choices it has made.

In addition, the committee has occasionally been criticised as being "short-sighted"; some recipients have been awarded the prize because of recent ceasefires, peace agreements, or truces, with critics saying the committee should wait to see if the rationale for awarding the prize for is actually long-lasting. Much comment has also been made of the number of politicians, naturally divisive and politicised people by virtue of their positions, who have received the Peace Prize, with some saying the award should be reserved for "ordinary citizens" or non-governmental organisations only.

First nine recipients

Most notably, the committee apologised in 1998 for the "obvious bias and lack of impartiality" that the original laureate selectors, Haven City Council, had displayed when choosing the first nine recipients; before the selection of winners was handed off to the independent Haven Peace Prize Committee, and nominations were opened up to international individuals or organisations in 1975, all of the laureates were either members of the Church of Sanctaria, or the Church of Sanctaria itself, the organisation that ruled the Papal States of Sanctaria at the time.

The committee said at the time that they would not rescind the awards, but would add a footnote to their records that the decisions in the context of these recipients were not made wholly on merit. These disclaimers are currently listed on the organisation's website listing past laureates. The first award in particular, given to the Church of Sanctaria, has been consistently criticised by historians and politicians alike. The record of the Church in militantly taking over countries, and forcibly converting individuals in those countries, is well known and acknowledged by the Church itself; critics have questioned how the Haven Peace Prize Committee can stand over that record and allow the Church to keep its place as a winner of the Peace Prize.