Criteria for Selection
The outstanding humanitarians honored with the Wallenberg Medal and Lecture are individuals whose achievements signal that they are free of racial, religious, or ethnic prejudice. They are selected because their contributions, in the form of actions and/or writing, honor and perpetuate Wallenberg’s own extraordinary accomplishments and human values. The concept of humanitarianism, demonstrated by Wallenberg on behalf of Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe, is intended to encompass the defense and rescue of all groups of human beings who are subject to exploitation and persecution.
Medalists will exemplify one or more of these traits:
- unmatched heroism, courage, and self-sacrifice in the protection and rescue of the persecuted;
- integrity of the human spirit, as displayed by resistance to oppression when the majority is silent;
- the ability to reach out to the hungry, the helpless, the powerless, and the persecuted, by providing sanctuary;
- the ability to articulate these values in a way that commands the respect of the University community.
Medalists will have served as:
- defenders of the cause of liberty and human rights, whenever these are in jeopardy;
- embodiments of the idea that “one person can make a difference” in the struggle for a better world; and
- symbols of stamina, hope, and faith in the goodness of one’s fellow human beings.
- The Wallenberg Executive Committee uses the above criteria to select the Wallenberg Medalist each year.