Unlike the prize ceremonies of 2016 and 2017, the 2018 event was divided in three parts – a trilogy. The first part was an evening program at the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies that took place on June 9. This event, entitled “Honoring Humanitarians,” introduced the 2018 Aurora Humanitarians – Kyaw Hla Aung (Myanmar), Sunitha Krishnan (India) and Father Tomás González Castillo (Mexico).

Master of ceremonies David Ignatius returned to lead this segment of the Trilogy and was joined on stage by Ms. Dalia Atallah, Amal Clooney Scholarship Fellow and a student at UWC Dilijan in Armenia. “We are here today because Aurora is about gratitude. It was created on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors,” Mr. Ignatius stressed out, “This gratitude is expressed through a variety of innovative projects, which facilitate, enable and empower action.”

The ceremony was attended by many distinguished humanitarians, including the Aurora Prize Selection Committee members, Aurora Prize Laureates, Aurora Humanitarians and Aurora supporters. The guests had an opportunity to see the short films dedicated to the Aurora impact, 2018 Aurora Humanitarians’ work, and Aurora Mardiganian, the woman who inspired the Prize.