Vehbi Koç Foundation has been presenting the Vehbi Koç Award since 2002, recognizing outstanding contributions in the fields of health, culture, and education. In addition, the foundation recently introduced a very special honor: the Outstanding Service to Humanity Award. We made a film to convey the philosophy behind this new award.
In today’s world—where challenges are growing rapidly and resources are being depleted—solving problems requires more than good intentions and aid campaigns. It demands large-scale, comprehensive efforts and sustainable, high-impact structures. With this in mind, the Vehbi Koç Foundation not only works to address current issues but also ensures that impactful institutions and organizations receive the recognition they deserve.
The Outstanding Service to Humanity Award, created for individuals and organizations that address today’s challenges with a forward-looking vision, was presented for the first time at a ceremony held at Koç University on the evening of June 25, 2022. The inaugural recipients were the founders of BioNTech, scientists Prof. Dr. Özlem Türeci and Prof. Dr. Uğur Şahin. They were honored with a commemorative plaque and chose to donate the $200,000 prize to support scientific research and students in need.
The world needs individuals who do not shrink in the face of adversity, who speak the truth when silence prevails, who remain humble amid applause, who stay the course when alone, who challenge falsehoods and pursue truth. People who chase the impossible and inspire future generations not just with their work, but with their lives. In other words, “those few who live for all of us.” However few they may be, they walk among us.
Who knows—maybe you are one of them. If so, you could be the next recipient of the Outstanding Service to Humanity Award.
