Criteria
The qualities that made John Heinz special—an enormous capacity to love, smile, take risks, question, work hard and believe in the power of the individual to improve the lives of others—were not unique to him. They are qualities which others possess and which, more than ever, hold the key to human progress. These are the attributes the Heinz Awards were created to honor.
Nominators are asked to bring forward candidates who possess a remarkable mix of vision, optimism, creativity and hard work which, when combined, produce tangible achievements of lasting good. More specifically, candidates for a Heinz Award must meet three essential standards:
1. Nominees must exhibit the following personal characteristics:
A passion for excellence that goes beyond intellectual curiosity;
A concern for humanity rooted in a deep sensitivity for the well-being of others;
A knowledge of self which acknowledges weaknesses but relies on individual strengths;
A gritty determination that will see a job through to completion despite the inevitable setbacks;
A broad vision which extends far beyond the particular and embraces something universal.
2. Work of the candidates for a Heinz Award must meet the following criteria:
Be significant and not a “quick fix.”
Have an enduring and meaningful impact.
Be creative and innovative, and
Be sufficiently tangible to serve as a model for replication elsewhere.
3. In addition, candidates should be actively working in the field in which they are nominated with the hope that, in receiving this award, their potential for future societal contribution will be enhanced.
In the category of Arts and Humanities, where some of these standards might not apply, the program considers breadth of impact of an individual’s body of work as well as the nominee’s contribution to the greater community.
Categories
Since the program began, five honorees have been selected each year. Last year, we honored 10 individuals for their work in just one area, the environment. This year we want to take this focus even further.
The scale of human enterprise has been such that the Earth is at a crucial point. Therefore, for the 16th annual Heinz Awards, we are seeking nominations of people who are addressing global change in unique and innovative ways. We will look for individuals in many fields of expertise, whose work offers innovative thinking, solutions, policies or products to deal with this web of issues – to prevent, mitigate or adapt to global changes. The goal is to find the best and the brightest.
As before we will seek to honor those documenting and addressing global change through the lens the existing five Heinz Awards categories:
Arts and Humanities
Environment
Human Condition
Public Policy
Technology, the Economy and Employment
Selection Process
An invited national Council of Nominators, comprised of individuals with expertise in the five categories, identifies qualified candidates.
Candidates for the Heinz Awards are selected from the general public without any action on their part. They are not required to render any service, either as a condition of being nominated or of receiving an award. Nominations are reviewed by Foundation staff and then forwarded to a jury consisting of noted experts in each of the five categories. The jury makes recommendations to the program’s Board of Directors for final approval.
Recipients are chosen without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or other categories protected by law. No award will be granted to members of the Council of Nominators, jury members, staff, directors or officers of the Foundation, or their family members, or to elected or appointed public officials.
