Prize for Women's Creativity
in Rural Life (1994 - 2025)
& 15 October - International Day of Rural Women (1995-2025)
More than 30 years of history
Over 500 prizes have been awarded to date in more than 120 countries, across 30+ years of history.
Laureates Selection
WWSF invites you to send us candidates for the 2026 Prize Award selection.
We look forward to receiving your nominations for a woman or a group of women whose initiatives deserve to be awarded with the WWSF “Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life” in 2026. To do so, check out our 2026 Nomination Form and read the Guidelines.
A sample of a local Prize Award Ceremony in Togo, 2005,
honoring laureate Mme Christine Agnélé Mensah in the presence of
invited VIP Togo guests and the WWSF President, Maria Elfriede Pradervand from Switzerland
An award to honor Women's Creativity in Rural Life
The “Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life” created in 1994, selects annually from candidates proposed to WWSF rural women leaders and groups to honor their creativity and innovation to help advance and improve the quality of life in rural communities.
The prize award of US$ 1000 per laureate represents our solidarity contribution for big efforts and obstacles overcome, and is not meant to be a project fund, although in many cases the prize money is re-invested in the laureates’ project.
Each year on "International Day of Rural Women - 15 October", WWSF awards its annual selected Laureates with the Prize, and shares samples of celebrations organized in their local communities.
Meet the 8 selected Laureates in 2025 receiving the
“Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life”
WWSF - International Day of Rural Women – 15 October
In partnership with civil society organizations during the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, WWSF created the International Day of Rural Women - 15th October. The Day was later declared an official UN Day by the UN General Assembly. WWSF took the lead in mobilizing governments around the world and fundraised for the development of the 15 October campaign program.
To organize an event in your community to promote the International Day of Rural Women, download publicity materials below.
15 October 1999 Celebration by Association Vivogbe, Benin
This International Day is an opportunity to:
1
Mobilize
Mobilize relevant NGOs
and grassroots women’s groups, organizations, networks and international institutions, as well as the media, to commemorate the Day and celebrate Rural Women Groups and Leaders and their communities around the world.
2
Sensitize
Organize local and national initiatives on the annual Day using the WWSF call to action ; sensitizing the public at large and lobbying governments on the crucial role rural women play in climate change management and to prioritize action for their support.
3
Raise Awareness
Raise awareness of rural women’s participation in the development process with a focus on their needs and rights, highlighting their contributions to sustainable development, household food security, safeguarding traditional knowledge, biodiversity, peace-building, and more.