In the wake of the horrors of World War II, nations around the world woke up to the need for robust international institutions to foster cooperation and mutual respect between people of different backgrounds and cultures. This will to promote peace led to the establishment of organizations such as the United Nations and the European Economic Community, but was also marked by symbolic and commemorative initiatives. One of these was the World Peace Bell, an association launched in Japan in 1954 with the goal of installing a ‘peace bell’ in every country as a monument to peace and cooperation among nations and a memorial to the countless failures to uphold this ideal.

This, then, is the purpose of the World Peace Bell Prize: to offer an annual prize for communities that have striven for and achieved progress in the dissemination of peace and communal development. Through this prize we strive to advance the global goal of ending violence and promoting just and peaceful societies by celebrating innovative, brave and inspiring initiatives that can become beacons of light for the rest of the world.

The prize will be given to a community that has demonstrated these qualities over a period of several years and can demonstrate its ability to actively contribute to peace and development as defined above. The prize will consist of a donation to the community of a World Peace Bell and guidance regarding its installation on a site coordinated by the community.

The WPB Prize will also facilitate all aspects of the on-site installation and construction of the bell’s house or supporting structure. The bell will be used at least once a year in the ringing ceremony on 21 September, the International Day of Peace.
The WPB Prize will provide ideas for possible content for events around the world, creating a tradition that invites people to gather, express, discuss, and most importantly, to actively listen to each other.

Application will be open to any community or communal body, of any size and in any location around the world. The application process will be made as simple as possible so as to ensure that it is genuinely open to all, regardless of financial resources or cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Prizes will be given strictly upon merit and each year the Prize Board will offer as many WPB prizes as it deems fit, providing they meet the above mentioned criteria.