The Human Rights Tulip () is an annual prize awarded by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs to a human rights defender or organisation who promotes and supports human rights in innovative ways. The Human Rights Tulip was established in 2007 and presented for the first time on 10 December 2008 and designed by the artist duo Adelheid and Huub Kortekaas.
The prize consists of a statuette and support worth â¬100.000 to assist the winning individual or organization to further develop and scale up their innovation.
The procedure of awarding the Human Rights Tulip starts with an open nominating procedure. The winner is selected by the Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs on the basis of public voting and the advice of an independent jury.
In October 2013, The Netherlands Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans decided to retain the award but to seek greater awareness for it.
In June 2014, the foreign ministry appointed the international development organisation Hivos to run the selection process for the award. This partnership continued in 2015, when the shortlist of six candidates was composed of three gaining the most votes in a public voting process, and three more selected by the Foreign Ministry and Hivos.
In 2014, 30 candidates have been nominated for the prize: Ladislaus Kiiza Rwakafuuzi, Elena Klimova, Audrey Mbugua, Meng Lin, Mideast Youth platform, Chidi Odinkalu, Sahil, Sima Samar, SHEILD, Terre des hommes, Under The Same Sun, WADI, YASunidos, Leyla Yunus, Margarita Zamora Tobar, Abounaddara, ASL19, CADHAC, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Centre for Civil Society and Democracy in Syria, Colectiva Feminista para el Desarallo Local, Committee Against Torture, Mazen Darwish, Droit et Justice, Euromaidan SOS, Foro de Jovenes con Liderazgo, Hasht-e Subh, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Rasul Jafarov, and Jan Sahas.
In 2020, 13 candidates were nominated for the prize: Lilit Martirosyan (Europe), The Belarus Helsinki Committee (Europe), Human Rights Centre ZMINA (Europe), Victor Domingo Zambrano Gonzales (Latin America), Georgina Orellano (Latin America), Carlos Fernando Charmorro Barrios (Latin America), Francisco José de Roux Rengifo (Latin America), zkôat Red de Sanadoras del Feminismo Comunitario Territorial (Latin America), Parveena Ahangar (Asia), Quanzhang Wang and Wenzu Li (Asia), the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (Middle East and North Africa), the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (Middle East and North Africa), and the Sudanese Professionals Association (Sub-Saharan Africa).