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The Purpose Prize

A $100,000 prize for people in their encore careers who are inventing new ways to solve social problems.

Ten people over the age of 60 will win in 2010. Nominate yourself or someone you know. Deadline: March 5.

5 tips for nominating someone for The Purpose Prize

1. Learn about past Prize winners to see what we look for. (Click here for a list of 2009 winners.)
2. Nominate someone (possibly you) who switched careers, is tackling a social problem and has plans to expand.
3. Tell a story: What was the "Aha!" moment that propelled your nominee in a new direction?
4. Describe the nominee's impact. What has your nominee accomplished that others should know about?
5. Listen to this podcast for tips on how to create a winning nomination.

Risktakers. Problem solvers. Trailblazers. Click above to watch a video about how they became Prize winners.

Spread the Word

Inspired? Motivated? Click on the links above to spread the word about the Purpose Prize. Share videos and photos, post winners’ stories on other sites and blogs, and email friends and colleagues.

More About The Purpose Prize

Have You Seen the Purpose Prize Videos?

Search Purpose Prize Winners and Fellows by Issue and Geography

Posted 10/30/2009 - 4:42pm

Here are some new tools to help you learn more about the nearly 250 social innovators who have been honored as Purpose Prize winners and fellows since 2006. Now you can search by name, by issue area and by location, and find short videos about their innovative and inspiring work.

by: Terry Nagel | Read more >>

Purpose Prize Winners Make Headlines

Posted 11/22/2009 - 5:29pm

Here are some of the highlights of the media coverage of the 2009 Purpose Prize winners:

NPR’s Health Blog features Tim Will, who brought broadband to Appalachia and connected rural farmers with restaurants eager for fresh local foods. Other winners mentioned are Don Coyhis of Colorado Springs, Colo., who created a substance abuse program for Native American that incorporates their values, and Connie Siskowski of Boca Raton, Fla., who formed a nonprofit that support children who become caregivers for ailing family members.

by: Terry Nagel | Read more >>

And the Winners Are...

Posted 10/25/2009 - 7:39pm

A former telecommunications systems analyst brings broadband to Appalachia and lures laid-off factory workers back to farming. A retired engineering professor transforms toxic fly ash from coal-fired plants into safe, green bricks. A psychiatrist links soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan – and their families – with unlimited free, confidential therapy.

The 10 recipients of the 2009 Purpose Prize – five $100,000 winners and five $50,000 winners – are using a new stage of life after age 60 to do extraordinary things to improve life for millions of people worldwide. They are tackling some of society’s biggest challenges, from alcoholism to housing discrimination, homelessness to violence in war-torn countries.

by: Terry Nagel | Read more >>

Purpose Prize Fellows Put Their Experience to Work

Posted 10/25/2009 - 7:38pm

The 2009 Purpose Prize fellows are leaders in the Encore Careers movement to invent new ways to solve society’s toughest challenges.

Among this year’s 49 Purpose Prize fellows are a 92-year-old former professor in Connecticut who started a “Gray Is Green” environmental movement in retirement communities, a nurse in Alabama who helps the underserved and uninsured access health services and a former restaurant owner who is inspiring residents of the Pacific Northwest to participate in watershed restoration.

by: Terry Nagel | Read more >>

In Memoriam: Kenneth Bacon, Honorary Purpose Prize Winner

Posted 11/16/2009 - 10:47am

Editor’s Note: The Kenneth Bacon (1944-2009) was honored at the 2009 Purpose Prize Summit with an Honorary Purpose Prize. David Cohen contributed this moving tribute shortly after Bacon’s death last summer.

Ken Bacon was an encore exemplar. Ken spent the first part of his professional life as a superb reporter and editor for The Wall Street Journal. He was appointed to a sub-Cabinet office as U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson during the Clinton years.

In his encore career, Ken Bacon headed Refugees International. He brought skill and passion to global advocacy in helping the displaced.

by: David Cohen | Read more >>

Purpose Prize Innovation Network

Join in the discussions with all Purpose Prize Winners and Fellows and other social innovators. This is a special group for use by social innovators, and Purpose Prize winners or fellows since 2006.

You can post questions or ideas for feedback from a dynamic set of winners and fellows who understand what it takes to be a social innovator working to make the world a better place.

512 members | Join Group | Discussion