NEW YORK — The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative today announced the four 2025 Aurora Humanitarians (finalists) for the $1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The Aurora Prize Selection Committee chose Sally Becker (UK), Jamal Eltayeb (Sudan), Zouhair Lahna (Morocco), and Jill Seaman (USA/South Sudan) from a global nominations pool of more than 800 humanitarians and introduced the finalists at a media briefing and discussion in New York City organized in partnership with the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC). One of these four humanitarians will be named as this year’s Aurora Prize Laureate at a ceremony set to take place in New York on November 6.
As humanitarian crises deepen and international donors cut funding, these exceptional individuals continue to make an impact in their communities, putting their own lives at risk as they save children in war zones, keep hospitals open under fire, and bring lifesaving treatment to remote and conflict-affected communities.
The 2025 Aurora Humanitarians are:
* Sally Becker (UK), a humanitarian who evacuated hundreds of children from besieged areas during conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo and founded organizations providing emergency pediatric care. Ms. Becker later expanded her work to Iraq, Ukraine, and Gaza, launching a telemedicine program that links local clinicians to a global pediatric network.
* Jamal Eltayeb (Sudan), a medical doctor who has kept Al Nao Hospital in Omdurman functioning as one of the last referral hospitals in greater Khartoum since the war escalated in April 2023. Dr. Eltayeb’s leadership allowed the hospital to remain open despite repeated bombardment, extreme resource shortages, and infrastructure collapse, helping save hundreds of lives.
* Zouhair Lahna (Morocco), an obstetrician–gynecologist who has worked in conflict zones and disaster areas for more than two decades, delivering care, training local staff, and mobilizing support. Dr. Lahna has served in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Syria, Yemen, Libya, Uganda, and most recently Gaza, where he has completed repeated rotations since October 2023.
