METU LGBTI+ Solidarity are awarded the prize for their brave, substantial long-term work for a diverse society and an inclusive education for all. This takes place in a Turkey that has become more repressive for human rights activists and LGBTI+ persons. The committee hopes that through receiving the prize, METU LGBTI+ Solidarity will get increased attention and support, and keep inspiring others with their work.​The group has worked for LGBTI+ persons, who experience suppression in Turkey, since they were founded in 1996. They have, among other things, held weekly meetings for LGBTI+ persons on campus, facilitated therapeutic conversations for trans- and non-binary persons and organized larger gatherings such as annual pride parades. METU LGBTI+ Solidarity does an impressive job for individuals and also engage broadly outside their own group, getting attention from the general student mass. They are well organized and have managed to increase their activities all the while the context they are working in Turkey is deteriorating. They are able to reach out with a broad spectre of activities and in many channels to get their message across, both digitally and on campus.​The authorities in Turkey have been tightening their grip on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and curbing human rights. Shrinking space is more than just a notion or a phrase in Turkey. In the current situation, minority groups are especially vulnerable, and the work of METU LGBTI+ Solidarity is all the more important, but also much more challenging. Many of the members of the group were arrested in 2019 when they were celebrating Pride with a parade on campus. In Turkey, METU LGBTI+ Solidarity forms part of a larger picture of critical actors who dare to oppose the human rights breaches carried out by the authorities. We hope their courage can be an inspiration to other organisations and also have an effect and gain attention more broadly into the Middle East region.