The World Food Prize holds various events throughout the year, including:
The Laureate Announcement Ceremony
Each Spring, beginning in 2004, the World Food Prize has been privileged to announce the name of the recipient of its $250,000 award in a ceremony at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
A succession of Secretaries of State have taken part in the Laureate Announcement Ceremony, beginning with Secretary Colin Powell and including Secretaries Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Michael R. Pompeo. Other Cabinet and Senior US Government participants have been Secretaries of Agriculture Ann Veneman, and Tom Vilsack and USAID Administrators Andrew Natsios, Rajiv Shah and Gayle Smith.
Held most often in the elegant Benjamin Franklin Ballroom on the eight floor of the State Department, the ceremony is regularly attended by over 300 ambassadors, diplomats, members of Congress, representatives of international organizations and development agencies, and business leaders.
The Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium
Held each October in conjunction with the presentation of the World Food Prize, the "Borlaug Dialogue," is a three-day symposium that brings together international experts, policy leaders, business executives and farmers to address cutting-edge issues in global food security and nutrition. The event, which takes place in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, and regularly attracts over 1,000 participants from more than 50 countries, has been referred to as "the premier conference in the world on global agriculture." The Borlaug Dialogue has featured an array of celebrated international speakers, including U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, AGRA Chairman Kofi Annan, HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bill Gates, who launched his multi-million dollar initiative to uplift Africa at the World Food Prize in 2009.
For details about the upcoming symposium and access to past agendas, videos and transcripts, click here.
The World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony
The magnificent Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines, Iowa, is the setting each October for the ceremony at which the $250,000 World Food Prize is presented to the newest Laureate(s). The ceremony has been said to rival those of the Nobel Prize in Sweden and Norway, drawing over 800 international guests. Each year, world-class performers take the stage to honor the World Food Prize Laureate, and the event is televised and webcast live. Past performers have included Ray Charles, John Denver, Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr., the Tokyo String Quartet, the Kathak Gunjan dancers from India, and international and recording stars such as Chachi Tadesse of Ethiopia and Achinoam Nini (Noa) from Yemen. Following the Ceremony, the celebration continues at the Laureate Award Dinner, held in the rotunda of the Capitol. Learn more about past events here.
The Iowa Hunger Summit
Founded in 2006, with all four of Iowa's living governors and Dr. Borlaug serving as honorary co-chairs, this one-day, grassroots gathering, organized by the World Food Prize Foundation, highlights efforts of Iowans to alleviate hunger both at home and abroad. The event, which is free and open to the public, is held in advance of the Borlaug Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, and includes workshops, keynote speakers from around the country, exhibitors, and more. HyVee and the Iowa Grocery Industry Association are the presenting sponsors of the Iowa Hunger Summit, which also includes the presentation of the Robert D. Ray Iowa SHARES Humanitarian Award to an Iowa "Hunger Fighter."