Since 2007, the El-Hibri Foundation has awarded prizes to leaders who have promoted inclusion and collaboration across difference—especially religious difference—in their communities, with winners recognized at an annual ceremony.
Three prizes are offered each year. The Peace Education Prize is awarded to an individual who has supported Muslim and Muslim-inclusive communities in America, and of successfully building others’ capacity for work of the same sort. The Community Builder Award is given in recognition of the recipient’s recent success in building thriving and inclusive American Muslim communities. Finally, The Fearless Ally Award recognizes the recipient’s work as an ally to American Muslim communities, using his or her platform to challenge anti-Muslim bias and promote inclusion. In 2021, AVDF will partner with El-Hibri to jointly support these prizes.
The 2019 ceremony featured 400 leaders from various sectors in attendance, including nominees representing 24 states. Moreover, in 2019 El-Hiibri engaged over 2,000 nonprofits via nominations, outreach, and promotion, and 4,000 individuals through direct contact and email campaigns. But they are careful in their proposal to note that “the true impact of the Peace Awards Program is propelled by the compelling narratives that we are privileged to showcase; stories from seemingly ordinary people who have been able to accomplish the extraordinary and demonstrate the positive contribution of faith-inspired leadership.”