Washington, DC - Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack will deliver the keynote address at the 2015 World Food Prize Laureate Announcement Ceremony. World Food Prize Foundation President and former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Kenneth M. Quinn will announce the winner of the 2015 World Food Prize in a ceremony on Wednesday, July 1, at 1:30 p.m. in the Loy Henderson Conference Room at the U.S. Department of State. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin will host.

The World Food Prize recognizes individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Each year, more than 4,000 institutions and organizations around the world are invited to nominate candidates for the prize. The World Food Prize Laureate will be awarded the prize in October during the Borlaug Dialogue International Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa. The prize includes a cash award of $250,000.

This marks the 12th year the State Department has hosted the Prize announcement, highlighting the Administration’s dedication to improving lives, counteracting suffering, and focusing on the role that science, technology and policy play in reducing hunger and under-nutrition.