The World of Children Awards is a global recognition and funding program for people specifically and exclusively serving the needs of children. Sometimes referred to as the "Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

© for Child Advocacy," the San Francisco Bay Area based non-profit was founded in 1996 and is led by Co-Founder's Harry Leibowitz

Harry Leibowitz

Harry Leibowitz is a retired businessman and Founder and Co-Chair of the World of Children Awards. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He began working long hours as soon as he became a teenager and at an early age developed an appreciation for the plight of children born into challenging circumstances...

 and his wife, Kay Isaacson-Leibowitz. The World of Children Awards recognizes changemakers nominated for the Health, Humanitarian and Youth Awards and provides cash grants to support development of their programs serving children.

Nominations

Individuals from all over the world may be nominated for a World of Children Health, Humanitarian or Youth Award. Nominations are entered online through the World of Children Awards website. In their 13-year history, the World of Children Awards has received over 1500 Nominations from more than 80 countries. There are now 84 Award Winners overseeing work in 50 countries. Nominations for World of Children Awards open each year in January and close for review in May.

Humanitarian Award

The Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to children in the areas of social services, education or humanitarian services. The Nominee must have created or managed a sustainable program which has significantly contributed to children's opportunities to be safe, to learn and to grow. They must do this work over and above their normal employment, or work for little or no pay. The Nominee must have been doing this for a minimum of 10 years. They must have an existing non-profit organization in good standing, which can receive grant funds if awarded.

Health Award

The Health Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to children in the fields of health, medicine or the sciences. The Nominee must have created or managed a sustainable program which has significantly contributed to the improved health of children. They must do this work over and above their normal employment, or work for little or no pay. They must have been doing this for a minimum of 10 years and must have an existing non-profit organization in good standing, which can receive grant funds if awarded.

Youth Award

The Youth Award recognizes youth that are making extraordinary contributions to the lives of other children. The Nominee must be under the age of 21 and must have been engaged in this work for a minimum of three years.

Selection Process

To ensure credibility of the child advocates that are honored, the World of Children Awards uses a multi-tiered, independent vetting

Vetting

Vetting is a process of examination and evaluation, generally referring to performing a background check on someone before offering him or her employment, conferring an award, etc...

 process. After the Nominations deadline has closed each year, the World of Children does an internal review of all Nominations submitted to be sure they meet eligibility requirements. The nominations are passed through a series of independent review teams all following a set of standardized scoring criteria to determine category finalists. A formal international investigative agency then conducts an independent audit of each final applicant, visiting each program site and examining the organization serving children.

In the final selection stage, the World of Children Board of Governors reviews the independent audit reports, and votes to approve the final slate of Honorees. Each year, the Board of Governors then determines the final annual grant allocations to be shared with the children’s programs led by each Honoree. The World of Children notifies the Finalists of their Award status before the annual World of Children Awards Events are held in New York City in November.

Awards Ceremony

The World of Children Awards ceremony is held in New York City at UNICEF and is attended by press, ambassadors and dignitaries. The events are usually held in early November.

Celebrity Ambassador

In January, 2010, American actress, Stephanie March

Stephanie March

Stephanie Caroline March is an American actress, best known for her current portrayal of Alexandra Cabot on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Early life:...

 joined the World of Children Awards as the organization’s Celebrity Ambassador. March is still actively involved in the organization.
From 2000-2010, American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

served as the Honorary Chair for the World of Children Awards.

Give Up Your Birthday Campaign

The World of Children Awards recently launched a Give Up Your Birthday campaign, an effort to raise funds for the Awards program and the work that it supports through individual birthday donations. The campaign is centered on a website where individuals can create a Birthday Page and ask friends and family to make a donation to the World of Children Awards in their name in lieu of gifts. Celebrity Ambassador, Stephanie March, announced that she would be Giving Up Her Birthday in 2010.