November 23, 2025 — The annual US Peace Prize, one of the nation’s most respected honors for antiwar leadership, will be awarded today during the No War on Venezuela rally in San Francisco. The ceremony, open to the public, highlights a tradition now in its 17th year: recognizing Americans who have dared to confront the culture of war and militarism at the heart of U.S. policy.
Since its founding, the US Peace Memorial Foundation has stood alone in its exclusive mission to honor those who resist war. Its work is rooted in a simple conviction: ending the U.S. culture of war begins by celebrating the people who speak out against it. Through its US Peace Registry and its prestigious annual prize, the Foundation documents and elevates the voices of individuals and organizations whose courage inspires others to take a stand.
Over the years, the prize has celebrated some of the most influential and persistent antiwar figures and networks in the country. Past recipients include the Friends Committee on National Legislation, National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth, Costs of War, World BEYOND War, Christine Ahn, Ajamu Baraka, David Swanson, Ann Wright, Veterans For Peace, Kathy Kelly, CODEPINK, Chelsea Manning, Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Dennis Kucinich, and Cindy Sheehan. Each has contributed in distinct ways—through research, civil resistance, advocacy, whistleblowing, diplomacy, or direct action—to challenging the narratives and structures that sustain U.S. militarism.
According to the Foundation, the prize honors “courageous people and organizations who have publicly championed peaceful solutions to international conflicts involving the United States and opposed U.S. war(s), militarism, and interventions—including invasion, occupation, production and distribution of weapons of mass destruction, use of weapons, threats of war, or other hostile actions that endanger peace.”
This year’s finalists for the 2025 US Peace Prize are Gerry Condon, Joseph Gerson, the National Priorities Project, and Timmon Wallis—all prominent voices whose work is documented extensively in the US Peace Registry. Each finalist reflects a different facet of the U.S. peace movement: veterans’ resistance, disarmament advocacy, budget analysis and redirection, and nonviolent organizing for a demilitarized future.
All recipients—past and present—are designated Founding Members of the US Peace Memorial Foundation, ensuring that their contributions become part of a permanent national record.
As the prize is presented today, it will do more than honor one leader or organization. It will remind the country of the ongoing work required to shift national priorities away from conflict and toward peace. In the words of the Foundation’s mission: by spotlighting those who resist war, we help inspire the next wave of Americans ready to speak out, organize, and imagine a society where peace is the guiding principle.