Silver Rose Awards
What are the Silver Rose Awards?
SOLIDAR co-organises Silver Rose together with the S&D Group in the European Parliament, the Party of European Socialists (PES), and since 2023, the Foundation of European Progressive Studies (FEPS).
In 2024, we organise the event in partnership with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), PES Women and the Young European Socialists (YES).
The 2024 Silver Rose Award for a Just Transition went to Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) for their tireless and transformative work at the intersection of gender justice, environmental sustainability, and social equity. Through its ecofeminist approach, WECF ensures that the rights and voices of marginalised communities — particularly women, youth, and those on the frontlines of climate change — are at the heart of systemic change. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Nicolas Schmit, a tireless advocate for the rights of workers, young people, and vulnerable communities, championing policies that promote fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all. This year, extraordinarily, we introduced the SOLIDAR Legacy Prize for Social Justice to honour a giant of the progressive family, Glenys Kinnock. Glenys was an exceptional individual who dedicated her life to advancing social justice and human rights while contributing to the success of SOLIDAR by founding the Silver Rose Awards.
Every year we seek nominations of individuals and/or organisations that remind us how the advancement towards a more fair, sustainable, and equitable world can only be achieved through collective action, courage, perseverance, and commitment.
Civil society organisations as well as individuals are welcome to nominate candidates for the Silver Rose Award. A jury composed of civil society organisations, trade unions, and partner organisations from the progressive political family then evaluates candidates. The winners are chosen based on their significant contributions to social justice, sustainability, and solidarity.
The award ceremony brings together a wide audience of like-minded partners from diverse backgrounds, strengthening our alliances and partnerships, with the ambition to inspire us all to continue our efforts for a fairer and sustainable world.
The next edition of Silver Rose will take place in Autumn 2025.
Previous winners
The people and organisations who have had the honour of taking the Silver Rose stage to receive their award range from grassroots human rights activists to academics who have researched the social consequences of inequality, to undercover journalists who have shed light on working conditions in the lower social classes.
Previous winners of the SOLIDAR Silver Rose Awards include Juan Somavia (2005), former Director-General of the International Labour Organisation; the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture (2006); Aminatou Haidar (2007), human rights defender from Western Sahara; Plataforma de Mujeres Aristas contra la Violencia de Genero (2007), Spanish group of musicians; the Colombian Trade Union Federations (2010); Gunter Wallraff (2015), German author and undercover journalist, and many more.
For more information, contact us at: communications@solidar.org
