The names of the Aurora Prize finalists are already known. The four candidates are Marguerite Barankitse, from Maison Shalom and REMA Hospital in Burundi; Dr. Tom Catena, from Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan; Syeda Ghulam Fatima, the General Secretary of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front in Pakistan; and Father Bernard Kinvi, a Catholic priest in Bossemptele in the Central African Republic.

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a new global award that will be given annually to individuals who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive. Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes, having overcome significant challenges along the way. One of the four finalists, the ultimate Aurora Prize Laureate, will receive a grant of US$100,000 and the chance to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired his or her work for a US$1 million award.

“This project is extremely important for Armenia and the Armenian people, as it builds on the deep philosophy that we, Armenians, are a winning nation,” Director of Communications at 100 LIVES and The Aurora Prize Armine Afeyan told reporters in Yerevan today.

According to 100LIVES and Aurora Prize project CEO Arman Jilavyan, the prize pursues concrete goals. “We are a winning nation, a grateful nation. We can express gratitude to the world in the name of the whole nation. Having passed through a hellish road, today we have a concrete goal and mission. First of all, it’s humanity, and Armenia can and must become one of the centers of it,” he added.

One of the four finalists will be announced as the inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate during a ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia on April 24, 2016. Selection Committee Co-Chair George Clooney will present the award.