Introduction
In 2010 the Right Livelihood Award celebrated its 30th anniversary. Internationally known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize" the award was established in 1980 to honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today. To date, 141 individuals and organisations from 59 countries have received the prize, which is widely recognised as the world's premier award for personal courage and social transformation.
Presented annually in Stockholm the 6th of December, at a ceremony in the Swedish Parliament, the award enables its recipients to reach out to an international audience and to make their ground-breaking ideas and concepts known widely. It also provides the laureates - who are often carrying out their work under difficult circumstances and at the risk of their lives - crucial protection against violence, repression and imprisonment.