Watch the Recording of the Global Gala: Threads of Compassion & the 2025 Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awards
Morning Event
Evening Event
Honoring the 2025 Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awardees
Each year, the Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Award, presented by the Charter for Compassion, recognizes individuals and organizations whose life work advances compassionate action, moral courage, and a deep commitment to our shared humanity. These honorees come from diverse traditions, cultures, and disciplines—but all share a common belief: that compassion is not a passive feeling, but a powerful force for change.
The 2025 Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awardees exemplify this vision through education, storytelling, environmental stewardship, spiritual leadership, and acts of healing:
- Satish Kumar – Peace pilgrim, ecological educator, and former Jain monk who has spent a lifetime walking the path of simplicity, sustainability, and nonviolence.
- Dr. Lobsang Tenzin Negi – Buddhist scholar, co-creator of Cognitively-Based Compassion Training, and founder of Emory University's Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics.
- Rainn Wilson – Actor, author, and spiritual activist whose work through SoulPancake, Soul Boom, and Lidé Haiti calls forth meaning, joy, and justice.
- Lyla June Johnston – Indigenous scholar, poet, musician, and activist whose voice uplifts ancestral wisdom, land stewardship, and cultural healing.
These awardees join a distinguished group of past recipients whose work has shaped and inspired the global movement for compassion. Past honorees include:
- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and global advocate for climate and human rights
- Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Dutch interfaith and social justice leader
- Isabel Wilkerson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author illuminating the American narrative of dignity and struggle
- Kailash Satyarthi and Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Laureates and tireless defenders of children’s and Indigenous rights
- Roshi Joan Halifax, engaged Buddhist teacher integrating mindfulness, social action, and end-of-life care
- Vandana Shiva, eco-activist and champion for food justice, biodiversity, and Indigenous knowledge
- September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, who turned personal grief into global advocacy for nonviolence
- The Parents Circle – Families Forum, an Israeli-Palestinian coalition of bereaved families transforming loss into reconciliation
Through their work, each honoree reminds us that compassion is not only a personal virtue, but a social imperative—a moral compass for how we live, lead, and build a better world together.
Join us in honoring their lives and legacies at the Karen Armstrong Humanitarian Awards Gala, held virtually on November 15, 2025—a global celebration of courage, compassion, and our common humanity.
