SIKH STUDIES
Awarded by Hofstra University in collaboration with the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra Charitable Foundation
As the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak taught that we discover our oneness with humanity by exploring the differences that separate us. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize recognizes and supports the efforts of those individuals and organizations who work to advance that vision.
According to Guru Nanak, religions are paradoxical. They help us to discover and cultivate what is best and most hopeful about one another and the world that sustains us. And yet, they often spark conflict and violence. The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize is based on the conviction that religious dialogue helps to minimize religious conflict by cultivating awareness that we each view the world from the limitations of our own traditions, and we have much to learn from the traditions of others.
2026 Award Nominations
The 2026 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize will open for nominations soon. Please review the award criteria and make your submission.
Award CriteriaAbout Guru Nanak
Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in a village located near the contemporary Pakistani city of Lahore. Raised in a Hindu family, Nanak was also exposed to Muslim literature and learned to speak both Persian and Arabic. According to Sikh tradition, at the age of 30 Guru Nanak disappeared and was presumed to have drowned. He reappeared after three days, having experienced a divine revelation, which he proceeded to propagate through extensive travels through the Indian subcontinent and beyond. Immediately following his three-day disappearance, Guru Nanak was said to have remarked, “There is no Hindu, nor any Muslim.” This statement, which rejects religious identity as a form of classification, has been interpreted by Sikhs to proclaim a message of universal brotherhood. It is this spirit that animates The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize, an award that recognizes the oneness of humanity, even in the face of religious divisions.
Previous Recipients
The Award
The Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize in the amount of $50,000 is awarded biannually to an individual or organization chosen by a distinguished panel of judges. The goal of this award is to enhance awareness of the critical role of religious dialogue in the pursuit of peace as well as to provide direct support for the furtherance of such activities. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso, was named the first winner of the Guru Nanak Prize in 2008 in recognition of his many years of promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding around the world.
Award Criteria
A panel of judges composed of religious leaders, academics and individuals known for their commitment to interfaith dialogue will consider the recent and career accomplishments of nominees. Award recipients will have demonstrated extraordinary leadership, courage and a capacity for inspiring in others a willingness to embrace the vulnerability that is the key to true religious dialogue.
Eligibility
Any living individual or organization that the nominator believes has contributed to the promotion of constructive dialogue and/or relations between faith communities.
Criteria
The committee invites nominators to consider a wide-range of activities. A nominee may, for example, have organized members of different faith communities to work toward a common goal; produced a work of art or literature that contributes to or publicizes the importance of interfaith dialogue; or uses a position of authority or power to bring faith communities together. Nominees may be designated on the basis of a single contribution or a lifetime of contributions.
Nomination Procedures
Nominators should provide a brief description of themselves (no more than 100 words) and a two page letter describing the individual or organization being nominated and the activities the nominator believes qualify the nominee for consideration. Nominations may be submitted via online form or via email at hclas@hofstra.edu.
Due Date
The 2026 nomination deadline will be announced soon.
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Study the world’s religions to understand how belief shapes culture, ethics, and the human experience.
