Overview of the Prize

Currently in its fifth year, the Opus Prize is a $1 million faith-based humanitarian award and two $100,000 awards given annually to recognize unsung heroes working on the front lines of today's most persistent social problems. Opus Prize winners combine a driving entrepreneurial spirit with an abiding faith to combat social problems, including poverty, illiteracy, hunger, disease and injustice. The monetary awards are granted to organizations in honor of the Opus Prize winner.

Established to honor the innovative humanitarian work of those dedicated to helping transform the lives of people facing a future with little or no hope, the Opus Prize recognizes and supports the winners' extraordinary life commitment to life-changing work. Beyond supporting the humanitarian efforts, the Opus Prize aims to inspire people to pursue service to others.

History
The Opus Prize Foundation is a philanthropic organization affiliated with The Opus Group, a $2.1 billion national real estate development company based in suburban Minneapolis.

Community stewardship has been at the core of Opus since it was founded in 1953, and social entrepreneurship has been a core interest.

Conceived in the 1990s as a tangible way to support people who are committed to transforming the lives of others and inspire the next generation of humanitarian social entrepreneurs, the Opus Prize Foundation was incorporated and awarded its first Opus Prize in 2004.