Freedom to Create Prize

The Freedom to Create Prize was established in 2008 to foster prosperity in the developing world by investing in the creative foundations of society. The Freedom to Create Prize was awarded from 2008 to 2011 to support and recognise artists who strive for social change in places where there is no "freedom to create".

Freedom to Create Prize

The Freedom to Create Prize celebrates the power of art to promote social justice and inspire the human spirit. The Prize is open to artists in all creative fields. Artwork is assessed on its ability to accomplish one or all of the following: promote social justice, build societal foundations, and inspire the human spirit.
Each year, US$125,000 in prize money is awarded across three categories: Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist.

Prize Category	Description	Award Details
Main Prize	This category is open to artists or groups whose participants are over the age of 18 and has a total prize pool of US$75,000.	The first-place winner receives US$50,000 which is shared with an organisation nominated by the winning entrant to further the cause the artwork has highlighted. The second place prize winner receives US$15,000. The third place prize winner receives US$10,000.
Youth Prize	This prize is open to artists or groups whose participants are under the age of 18, or organisations whose primary work uses art to involve and impact youths.	The US$25,000 prize is divided into two components. The winner receives US$10,000 and the remaining US$15,000 is awarded to an organisation nominated by the winning entrant to further the cause that the artwork has highlighted.
Imprisoned Artist Prize	This prize focuses on artists who are imprisoned as a result of their art and its role in highlighting injustice. It differs slightly from the other categories, in that less emphasis is placed on the artist's work and more on the personal risks incurred by them, the message conveyed through their work and its impact.	A single prize of US$25,000 is directed towards securing the artist's release, advocating on behalf of them and their cause and offering support to their family.

2011 Freedom to Create Prize

Winners were announced in an award ceremony and concert at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa on 19 November 2011. Myanmar's pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi recorded a special message congratulating Imprisoned Artist Prize winner Win Maw.

Judging Panel

Judges for the 2011 Freedom to Create Prize included: 2010 Freedom to Create Prize winner and Sudanese theatre producer Ali Mahdi Nouri; Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul; South African writer Achmat Dangor; Croatian born painter Ana Tzarev; Egyptian human rights activist Dalia Ziada; American film actress Daryl Hannah; celebrated street artist D*Face; Pakistani poet, journalist and social activist Fatima Bhutto; philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist Kwame Anthony Appiah; author Salman Rushdie; Professor Lourdes Arizpe; dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov; award-winning filmmaker and producer Mira Nair; writer and curator Sarah Lewis; and authority on the development of creativity, innovation and human resources, Sir Ken Robinson.

Main Prize Category

Name	Country or Region	Description	Result
Sister Fa	Senegal	Sister Fa has taken enormous personal risks to champion the rights of women and girls in West Africa. One of the most widely recognised female rap artists in Senegal, she has devoted her life's work to raising awareness of the dangers of female genital mutilation, a practice, in theory, has been outlawed by the state, but which in fact, continues across Africa and infringes on the basic rights of women and girls. Using her music to speak out, Sister Fa encourages women to educate themselves and to create a movement for social change.	First Prize
Ayat Al-Gormezi	Bahrain	Ayat Al-Gormezi, a poet and student at the Faculty of Teachers in Bahrain, was arrested in February 2011 because she recited a poem which criticised government policy in Pearl Square. Ayat was subjected to harassment, defamation, intimidation and threats of rape and murder whilst in prison, where she served two months of a one-year sentence as the first female prisoner of conscience in Bahrain. Ayat has become a symbol of resistance to repression in Bahrain, encouraging thousands of young people and women to take to the streets to express their opinions and stand up for justice.	Second Prize
Ramy Essam	Egypt	Ramy Essam began the 25th January Revolution in Egypt purely as a participant, but was soon called upon by his fellow protesters to provide a soundtrack to their struggles and was quickly labelled as the ‘singer of the revolution’. He rose to prominence during the revolution with a collection of songs that captured the fear, optimism and defiant demand for change that was sweeping across the country. Ramy spent 18 days in Tahrir Square as an integral part of the revolution, writing music and performing songs to motivate the protesters, risking his life and suffering threats and attacks from the military police, but refusing to leave until Mubarak's regime collapsed.	Third Prize
Rachelle Agbossou	Benin	Rachelle is the first female dance choreographer in Benin, one of the smallest and most densely populated regions in Africa. She formed ‘Compagnie Walo’ which uses a mix of contemporary and traditional dance to focus on social issues that impact communities in Benin. She wants to create a knowledge centre, a place to emancipate other women through dance training and stimulate the creative skills of children who receive otherwise only the most basic education.	Finalist
Song Byeok	North Korea	Growing up in North Korea, based on his artistic skills, Song Byeok was selected at the age of 24 to become an official state propagandist. His faith in the Dear Leader was only shaken when famine struck North Korea in the 1990s and millions of people died, including Song's mother, father and sister. Before escaping for South Korea, he endured torture at the hands of the regime after being captured while attempting to cross into China to secure food for his starving family. Now dedicated to promoting freedom, he paints acrylic pieces as satires of Kim Jong-Il. Song's art represents a global call for reconciliation between North and South Korea and a demand for the Kim regime to reveal the truth about the situation in North Korea.	Finalist
Tarik Samarah	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Tarik Samarah is a Bosnian photographer who works in artistic and documentary photography. His ‘Srebrenica’ billboard campaign exhibited images of the Srebrenica massacre on large commercial billboards as a way of raising awareness about events that took place during the Srebrenica Genocide. Tarik's photographs are a powerful and haunting glimpse into the legacy of the genocide that took place in the heart of Europe on the threshold of the 21st century. Almost 8,000 innocent men were killed, during only the fourth genocide to be officially recognised by the UN. Tarik took numerous risks to get to the heart of where these events took place to take these disturbing images, and his work has been censored and banned numerous times.	Finalist
Thet Sambath and Rob Lemkin	Cambodia	Thet Sambath spent 10 years gaining the trust of former Khmer Rouge perpetrators and persuaded them to confess their crimes on film in order to understand this most mysterious of genocidal events – both for himself as a victim of the Killing Fields, his fellow Cambodians and the word as a whole. The film Enemies of the People not only tells a previously untold story, brought to the screen with the support of Rob Lemkin, but also suggests a more peaceful way to deal with violence.	Finalist

Imprisoned Artist Prize

Name	Country or Region	Description	Result
Win Maw	Myanmar	Win Maw has been an inspirational guitarist and songwriter in Myanmar for decades, continuing to make music even in the prison cell to which he was sentenced for 10 years in 2009. He expresses the political views of the Burmese people with his music which provides a rallying point for the masses during the numerous political upheavals in Myanmar. He is a leading exponent of artists giving voice to democratic movements for social change. In 2011, three of his new songs were smuggled out of prison to be used for International Music Freedom Day.	Winner
Dhondup Wangchen	Tibet	Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2008 on charges related to his documentary Leaving Fear Behind. Made with senior Tibetan monk Jigme Gyatso, the documentary consists of interviews with ordinary Tibetan people discussing the 14th Dalai Lama, the Chinese government, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Han Chinese migrants to the region.	Finalist
Ericson Acosta	Philippines	Ericson Acosta was a prominent Filipino political prisoner, cultural worker, poet, writer and singer-composer. He was known for his poem "And So Your Poetry Must" and his recording of "Walang Kalabaw sa Cubao". He was arrested and detained in February 2011 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Despite being detained, Acosta continued to pursue his art and, reminiscent of Vietnamese hero Ho Chi Minh's "Prison Diaries," released "The Prison Sessions", a raw recording of progressive songs.	Finalist