Four Freedoms Award Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Four Freedoms Award
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, painted by Francis Owen Salisbury, 1947
Country	United States

The Four Freedoms Award is a special honor given each year. It celebrates people and groups who show a strong dedication to ideas that U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke about in 1941. He called these ideas the "Four Freedoms." They are: "freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear."

These awards are given out in two places. In some years, they are presented in New York City by the Roosevelt Institute to Americans. In other years, the ceremony takes place in Middelburg, Netherlands. There, the Roosevelt Stichting gives the awards to people from other countries.

History of the Awards
Who Has Received the Awards?
Images for kids
See also

History of the Awards

The Four Freedoms Awards began in 1982. This was a special year because it was 100 years since President Roosevelt was born. It also marked 200 years of friendly relations between the United States and the Netherlands.

The awards were created to highlight the four important freedoms President Roosevelt talked about in his speech:

A specific award was created for each of these four freedoms. There is also a special "Freedom Medal." Sometimes, extra special awards are given out too.

The awards are given to Americans in odd-numbered years. These ceremonies are usually in New York City. In even-numbered years, the awards go to non-Americans. These events happen in Middelburg, Netherlands. Middelburg was chosen because President Roosevelt's family is thought to have come from a nearby Dutch town called Oud-Vossemeer.

Who Has Received the Awards?

Many important people and organizations from around the world have received the Four Freedoms Awards. They are recognized for their work in upholding these important principles.

Freedom Medal Recipients

The Freedom Medal is a very special award. It honors people who have made a huge difference in promoting all four freedoms. Some notable people who have received the Freedom Medal include:

Princess Juliana of the Netherlands (1982)
Nelson Mandela (2002), a leader who fought against unfairness in South Africa.
Kofi Annan (2004), who used to lead the United Nations.
Bill Clinton (2005), a former U.S. President.
Angela Merkel (2016), a former leader of Germany.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2015), a famous U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (2022), a political leader from Belarus.

Nelson Mandela received the Freedom Medal in 2002.

Angela Merkel received the Freedom Medal in 2016.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg received the Freedom Medal in 2015.

Freedom of Speech Award

This award honors those who champion the right to speak freely and express ideas.

The first is freedom of speech and expression — everywhere in the world.

—Roosevelt, January 6, 1941

Some people and groups recognized for protecting freedom of speech include:

Amnesty International (1984), an organization that works for human rights.
Walter Cronkite (1989), a famous American journalist.
Mstislav Rostropovich (1992), a world-renowned musician.
CNN (1998), a global news network.
John Lewis (1999), a civil rights leader.
Al Jazeera (2012), a news network.
Maria Ressa (2020), a journalist from the Philippines.
Bellingcat (2024), an investigative journalism group.

Dutch politician Max van der Stoel receiving the Freedom of Speech award in 1982.

John Lewis received the Freedom of Speech Award in 1999.

Freedom of Worship Award

This award is for those who work to ensure everyone can practice their religion freely.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way — everywhere in the world.

—Roosevelt, January 6, 1941

Notable recipients include:

Coretta Scott King (1983), a civil rights activist.
Elie Wiesel (1985), a writer and human rights activist.
Desmond Tutu (1998), a South African archbishop and activist.
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (2012), a spiritual leader.
Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan (2014).

Freedom of Worship, a painting by Norman Rockwell from 1943.

Coretta Scott King received the Freedom of Worship Award in 1983.

Elie Wiesel received the Freedom of Worship Award in 1985.

Freedom from Want Award

This award recognizes efforts to ensure people have enough to live healthy, peaceful lives, free from poverty and hunger.

The third is freedom from want — which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants — everywhere in the world.

—Roosevelt, January 6, 1941

Some recipients of this award are:

Liv Ullmann (1984), an actress and humanitarian.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (1991), actors known for their charity work.
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) (1996), a medical humanitarian organization.
Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank (2006), for their work with microfinance.
Malala Yousafzai (2014), a young activist for education.
Denis Mukwege (2016), a doctor from Congo.

Freedom from Want by painter Norman Rockwell from 1943.

Muhammad Yunus received the Freedom from Want Award in 2006.

Ela Bhatt received the Freedom from Want Award in 2012.

Freedom from Fear Award

This award honors those who work to create a world where people are safe from violence and war.

The fourth is freedom from fear — which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor — anywhere in the world.

—Roosevelt, January 6, 1941

Some notable recipients include: