The 2025 Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize has been awarded. Please check back later in the fall for details on the upcoming 2026 scholarship contest.
Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize
Essay and Multimedia Contests for High School and College Students across the United States
Students, this is your chance to learn about Emir Abdelkader, an Islamic scholar from Algeria who resisted French colonialism in the mid-19th century. The Emir’s commitment to human rights won him global admiration from the likes of President James Buchanan, Queen Victoria, Pope Pius IX, Tsar Alexander II, and the presidents of France, Greece, and Turkey. Monetary awards and opportunities will be given to students with winning entries.
Winners will be featured in publications and social media, and be invited to participate in other opportunities.
Kiser, John W. Commander of the Faithful: The Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader. Rhinebeck, NY: Monkfish Book Publishing, 2008.
Resources & News
November 26, 2025
2026 Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize Intro & Resources
Deadline: February 28, 2026 2026 Guidelines & Procedures During challenging times, the …
November 25, 2025
2026 Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize Guidelines & Procedures
Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize (2026) Essay And Multimedia Contests For Students These …
July 18, 2025
March 2025 Abdelkader Global Citizenship Prize (AGCP)
The Abdelkader Education Project (AEP) and Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) …
If we want to strive for unity, then we must not be tolerant of our diversity, but instead accept it. Accept our differences, and realize there is more than one right answer. Try not to passively put up with others, but instead embrace them. If we all treat everyone as human beings and demonstrate the courage to accept them, then we all have a chance to right the world’s wrongs, create ethical solutions for global problems, and continue the Emir’s legacy.
The Abdelkader Education Project provides opportunities for people across this globe to engage in the important and urgent work of building civility, enhancing cultural and religious literacy, and fostering mutual understanding among peoples. In a deeply divided world, the witness of Emir Abdelkader, who was a bridge-builder, is exemplary.
Emir Abdelkader's strong moral character has had the most effect on my life. Reading about his life has helped me come to see Muslims in a whole new light, and I only wish that I could show others my new perspective as well.
Abdelkader's jihad provides Muslims with a much needed antidote to the toxic false jihads of today dominated by anger, violence and politics.
Abd el-Kader taught me that not all warriors cause bloodshed and not all scholars are passive. He directed me to believe they can be combined into a single being, and Abd el-Kader stands as an example of this. He represented a gallant and intelligent hero who cared about his people rather than his power.
I believe that if [Abd el-Kader] were more celebrated and spoken about, especially here in America, he could help with the plight that many Muslims growing up in the West face with their faith and give them a chance to exist as three dimensional beings, rather than harmful stereotypes.