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Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue

The Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue is presented every second year to an individual who has demonstrated excellence in the use of dialogue to increase mutual understanding and advance complex public issues. The award includes multi-day programming and a CAD $10,000 award.

There is something more important than information. Values are far more important, and it is by understanding common values that decisions are made. We come to understand values through dialogue.

Dr. Jack P. Blaney, President Emeritus, Simon Fraser University

Why Nominate

Far more than a simple ceremony, the Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue includes short programming in Canada that builds upon the recipient’s work. Past award programs have engaged thousands of participants through the hosting of international announcements, book launches, capacity building workshops, participatory research and more.

Through the award programming we hope to:

  • Honour the recipients and their excellence in the use of dialogue
  • Provide platforms to support and further the recipient’s work
  • Communicate the role of dialogue in creating systemic change
  • Serve communities to leave legacies of relationships, networks and opportunities
     

Nominations for the 2023/24 year are now closed.

Past Recipients

2021/22: adrienne maree brown for championing new and more equitable practices for facilitation that focus on healing, trust and joy. adrienne is a writer, podcaster, facilitator, abolitionist and movement mediator who inspires communities to move collectively towards liberation, solidarity and change.

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2019/20: Sheila (Siila) Watt-Cloutier for her international leadership in the use of dialogue in her work as an advocate for Indigenous, environmental and cultural rights. Siila is a respected Inuit leader and a world-renowned environmental, climate change and human rights advocate.

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2017/18 Alice Wairimu Nderitu for her outstanding work as an armed conflict mediator and use of dialogue to promote women in leadership and peacebuilding, multiculturalism and education in conflict prevention, and prevention of human rights violations and genocide. Alice is a global leader in the use of dialogue for armed conflict mediation and genocide prevention. Her track record includes mediating between national political leaders at the highest level and successfully intervening with affected communities in complex conflict zones.

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2015/16: Professor Tim Flannery for using dialogue and authentic engagement to build global consensus for action around the critical issue of climate change. Professor Flannery is a globally renowned scientist whose writing has inspired millions. His achievements include chairing the Copenhagen Climate Council and founding the Australian Climate Council. 

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2013/14: Chief Robert Joseph for his tireless work to renew relationships among Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Chief Joseph is a Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada and Special Advisor to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, among other distinctions. 

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2011/12: Karen Armstrong for a lifetime of outstanding achievement advancing understanding about world religions and promoting compassion as a way of life. Karen Armstrong is the founder of the Charter for Compassion, a document that applies shared moral priorities to foster greater global understanding. 

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2009/10: Liz Lerman for a lifetime of outstanding leadership, creativity and dedication to melding dialogue with dance. A choreographer and interdisciplinary artist, Liz Lerman's honours include a 2002 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship. Her work has been commissioned by the Lincoln Center, Harvard Law School and Kennedy Center, among others. 

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2005: Mary Robinson for outstanding courage, leadership and commitment to dialogue. Mary Robinson is one of the world’s leading advocates for human rights, having served as the President of Ireland, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and Executive Director of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. 

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

2002: Maurice Strong for his extraordinary contributions to global leadership in environmentalism and his work for the first United Nations conference on The Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972. Maurice Strong served as Secretary General of the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and the 1992 Rio Environmental Summit, as well as the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 

See more about this recipient’s work in dialogue →

History of the Award

The Jack P. Blaney Endowment Fund was established at Simon Fraser University in September 2000 by friends and colleagues to honour then-President Dr. Jack P. Blaney. Dr. Blaney’s leadership and vision were pivotal to the conception and building of the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, a unique physical space to convene dialogues on global issues and build consensus to resolve major conflicts. This international conference centre has helped to inspire a legacy of dialogue-based programming, both within the university and community-at-large.

The Endowment Fund supports the Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue and provides operating expenses to fund the presentation of the award every second year. The award includes a C$10,000 cash prize, international travel expenses for the recipient, an award presentation ceremony and acceptance speech, one or more public dialogue events organized by Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue in consultation with the award recipient and related program costs. All award programming and events normally occur in Vancouver, Canada.

What is Dialogue?

Dialogue is a concentrated conversation among equals. It offers helpful ways to work together cooperatively, encourages mutual understanding between diverse perspectives and leads to stable, resilient outcomes.

Dialogue involves engaging in collaborative inquiry into a central topic. Productive dialogue is entered with a spirit of curiosity, an interest in continually learning from and with others, and a willingness to be changed. Instead of arguing, convincing and advocating for what one already knows, dialogue encourages one to enter a space of the unknown—exploring diverse experiences and values, as well as points of agreement and disagreement.