John Prendergast

John Prendergast

John Prendergast is a human rights and anti-corruption activist as well as a New York Times best-selling author. He is the Co-Founder with George Clooney of The Sentry, an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to war criminals and transnational war profiteers.  John is also the Strategic Director of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.  

John has worked for the White House, the State Department, two members of Congress, the National Intelligence Council, UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, the International Crisis Group, and the U.S. Institute of Peace.  He was part of the mediation team that negotiated the end to the Ethiopia-Eritrea war, supported President Nelson Mandela’s mediation in the Burundi peace process, and contributed to other peace processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Sudan, and Somalia.   

John is the author or co-author of eleven books, two of which co-authored with Don Cheadle. His latest book, Congo Stories, is co-authored with Congolese activist Fidel Bafilemba and features photographs by Ryan Gosling. John also co-founded the Enough Project, a policy organization aimed at countering genocide and crimes against humanity. 

 

THE AURORA PRIZE SELECTION COMMITTEE

Read more

Elie Wiesel (1928 – 2016)

First Co-Chair

President of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity; Nobel Laureate

Read more

Lord Ara Darzi

Chair

Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London

Read more

George Clooney

Honorary Co-Chair

Co-founder, The Sentry; Humanitarian, performer and film maker

Read more

Chelsea Clinton

Member

Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation; Vice Chair, Clinton Health Access Initiative

Read more

Leymah Gbowee

Member

Liberian peace activist and women’s rights advocate; Nobel Laureate

Read more

Dele Olojede

Member

Journalist, Writer, Pulitzer Prize Winner

Read more

Paul Polman

Member

Business leader, climate and equalities campaigner

Read more

John Prendergast

Member

Human Rights Activist and Co-founder, The Sentry

Read more

Dame Louise Richardson

Member

President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Read more

Mary Robinson

Member

Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Former President of Ireland

Read more

Hamdi Ulukaya

Member

Founder, Tent Partnership for Refugees; Founder and CEO, Chobani

Read more

Ernesto Zedillo

Member

Director, Yale Center for the Study of Globalization; Former President of Mexico

Read more

Vartan Gregorian (1934 - 2021)

Member

Co-founder, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative; President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York

Read more

Benjamin Ferencz (1920–2023)

Honorary Co-Chair

Lawyer, Human Rights Activist

Read more

Elie Wiesel (1928 – 2016)

First Co-Chair

President of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity; Nobel Laureate

Read more

Lord Ara Darzi

Chair

Co-Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London