Humanitarian Service Award
Honouring Global Impact in Ophthalmology
Purpose & Background
The ESCRS Humanitarian Service Award honours exceptional efforts that expand access to quality eye care for underserved communities worldwide.
This annual award celebrates individuals whose sustained, high-impact initiatives in cataract and refractive surgery have transformed lives through service delivery, clinician training, infrastructure development, community education, and innovative outreach models.
The recipient will receive a charitable grant of up to €100,000 to support the ongoing work of a charitable organisation of their choice.
Priority is given to projects that deliver measurable benefits to low-income or underserved populations, with particular consideration for initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa.
More Information
Ophthalmologists and allied eye-care professionals, including ESCRS non-members, whose humanitarian work aligns with ESCRS values, are eligible for nomination.
Qualifying work should include sustained, high-impact service and system building, such as high-volume surgery, training, infrastructure, and innovative outreach.
The Nominations Panel, reviews and scores nominees using the evaluation criteria (shown below).
The award is then presented at the Annual Congress in September.
Nominations submitted will be scored using the following evaluation criteria framework:
Evaluation Criteria (with Weighting)
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Background and Experience (10%)
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Description of Work and Contributions (25%)
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Humanitarian Impact and Outputs (30%)
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Achievements and Beneficiary Impact (15%)
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Evidence and Supporting Documentation (10%)
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Ethical Standards and Integrity (10%)
All panel members will be required to declare any conflicts of interest.
When the Humanitarian Award winner selects a charitable organisation to receive the funds, evidence of that organisation's work will be requested and due diligence including checks on charitable status, auditable accounts, and independent references will be undertaken.