Trevor Noah receives Erasmus Prize

Trevor Noah receives Erasmus Prize

The recipient of this year’s Erasmus Prize is Trevor Noah, a South African comedian. The Dutch Praemium Erasmianum Foundation’s jury recognized Noah’s remarkable ability to utilize mockery, language, and political humor to connect with people and act in the spirit of Erasmus.

The foundation named him as a contributor to the “Praise of Folly” theme, inspired by Erasmus’ famous book. Noah is a prominent media figure in the United States, and in addition to being a comedian, he is a television host, political commentator, philanthropist, and author.

For many years, he hosted the satirical American news program, The Daily Show, before stepping down as a presenter at the end of last year. The prize of 150,000 euros is awarded annually by the foundation to recognize significant contributions to the humanities and the arts both within and beyond Europe. King Willem-Alexander, the foundation’s regent, presents the prize.

Previous winners include David Grossman, a writer from Israel, Grayson Perry, a British artist, John Adams, an American composer and conductor, and the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.