Atlas Network is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2025 Latin America Liberty Award, which in Februrary will honor the region’s most outstanding freedom champion. The three finalists for this year's award are Estudiantes por la Libertad Latinoamérica (Mexico); Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózaga (Colombia); and Fundación Libertad y Progreso (Argentina).
The winner will be announced at Latin America Liberty Forum 2025, which takes place on Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event will be co-hosted by Atlas Network partner Livres, drawing freedom champions from around the world to the Brazilian capital.
The three Latin America Liberty Award finalists are making notable contributions to the freedom movement:
Estudiantes por la Libertad Latinoamérica (Mexico)
Estudiantes por la Libertad Latinoamérica launched the “Liberty Roadshow Mexico” program, promoting liberty, leadership, and innovation to empower individuals and communities across Mexico. The program ultimately featured 15 Mexican states, 45 partnerships with educational institutions to host immersive experiences, and 74 such experiences across diverse regions, with more than 6,000 individuals attending conferences and workshops about liberty. The thousands of participants gained valuable knowledge and harnessed digital tools to advocate for freedom and liberty leadership in their own communities, while the organization created a long-term network of academic and community groups that will continue spreading free-market ideas state by state.
Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózaga (Colombia)
Instituto de Ciencia Política Hernán Echavarría Olózaga protected the rule of law and private property in Colombia’s rural areas, successfully stopping legislative and executive actions that threatened constitutional safeguards for land ownership, undermined property rights, and discouraged investment and economic development in Colombia. Defending the poorest Colombians from government overreach, the organization exposed and challenged Article 61 of the National Development Plan and its subsequent draft decree, which sought to bypass judicial oversight and expand state powers over rural land acquisition. And the challenge was a success, not only reinforcing the rule of law but also highlighting the indispensable role of property rights in fostering private-sector investment and innovation across the socioeconomic spectrum in Colombia.
Fundación Libertad y Progreso (Argentina)
Fundación Libertad y Progreso played a pivotal role in advancing freedom and liberty, significantly changing the policy environment and public opinion which enabled Javier Milei to enact sweeping free-market reforms. Because of the organization’s recommendations to the Argentine government, once sky-high inflation has been reduced significantly in Argentina, with executive branch reform, deregulation, and privatization—longstanding priorities of Fundación Libertad y Progreso—all improving the country’s fiscal environment. This impact culminated in Argentina’s “Rebirth of Freedom” summit (co-hosted with the Cato Institute), which rallied support for the structural reforms necessary to reverse decades of economic decline in Argentina. Featuring prominent policymakers, the event attracted nearly 900 participants from 22 countries, representing a key milestone in the country’s pro-market transformation.
The Latin America Liberty Award is part of the Templeton Freedom Award prize program sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust—named for the late investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton. In addition to Latin America, the program sponsors awards in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Its grand prize, the Templeton Freedom Award, is presented annually at Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner in New York City. This year, the prize program will award $270,000 in grants to high-achieving organizations that make innovative contributions to economic freedom and human progress.
“As we see in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico, the freedom movement is alive and well, combatting the forces of authoritarianism and collectivism to make the future brighter across the Americas,” said Brad Lips, CEO of Atlas Network. “Whether it means creating pro-liberty events, protecting the rule of law and property rights, or helping to reform entire economic ecosystems, Atlas Network’s independent partners in Latin America are doing the hard work—day in, day out—to overcome obstacles and promote free enterprise. On a wide range of issues, there is no stronger solution than pro-freedom idea entrepreneurship, and all three Latin America Liberty Award finalists are proving that daily.”
