Hillary Clinton Wins Chatham House Prize 2013

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who many think will run for president in 2016, has just won the Chatham House Prize 2013, beating out the other two nominees for the prize: Zimbabwe Finance Minister Tendai Laxton Biti and President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos.

Ms. Clinton will be presented with a crystal award and scroll, signed by Her Majesty the Queen, patron of the Chatham House, at a ceremony in London in the fall.

She was selected for the prize in recognition of her "personal leadership in driving a new era of US diplomatic engagement and for her promotion of education and rights for women and girls."

Here is more about the prize:

The annual Chatham House Prize is awarded to the statesperson who is deemed by Chatham House members to have made the most significant contribution to the improvement of international relations in the previous year.

The selection process draws on the expertise of Chatham House's research teams and three presidents, who nominate candidates. Our members are then invited to vote for the winner in a ballot.

The winner is presented with a crystal award and a scroll signed by our patron, Her Majesty The Queen. The award is presented at a ceremony and dinner at a central London venue with keynote speeches by leading figures in international affairs. The recipient of the prize will also often address a members event at Chatham House on or around the day of the award.

The Chatham House Prize was conceived in 2004, under the directorship of Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas. The concept and crucial early support came from Raj Loomba, founder of the Loomba Trust and a Chatham House council member. Together they supervised the first award in 2005, presented to Victor Yushchenko, and set the template that has ensured its ongoing success.

Here is a press release with some more details.  Previous recipients include Myanmar politician/activist Aung San Suu Kyi (2011), and former President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2009).

Chatham House was recently ranked as the 2nd best think tank in the world, and was ranked as the top non-US think tank in the world by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings.  The think tank is considered the 2nd best think tank in the world for security and international affairs, after the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).