Subheader: | Irwin Prize |
Image Upright: | 0.7 |
Awarded For: | Making an outstanding contribution to the secularist movement |
Location: | London |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Presenter: | National Secular Society |
Hosts: | --> |
Reward: | £5000 |
Year: | 2005 |
Secularist of the Year, also known as the Irwin Prize, is an award presented annually in the United Kingdom by the National Secular Society in "recognition of an individual or an organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to the secularist movement."
The award was established in 2005, and until 2017 it was sponsored by and named after humanist and secularist campaigner Dr. Michael Irwin. The prize consisted of a trophy, the "Golden Ammonite", and a cheque for £5000. The last time Secularist of the Year was awarded was in 2019.
Portrait | scope=col width=135px | Name | scope=col class="unsortable" | Citation[1] | scope=col width=135px | Presenter | scope=col class="unsortable" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
scope=row | 2005 | For "her work in defence of women's rights and the right to freedom of expression" | [2] | |||||
scope=row | 2006 | For "his contribution to the promotion of secularism" | [3] | |||||
scope=row | 2007 | For "her life opposing the mistreatment of women by the Iranian clerical regime" | [4] | |||||
scope=row | 2008 | |||||||
2009 | For "their work in the abolition of blasphemy law" | [5] [6] | ||||||
scope=row | 2010 | — | Southall Black Sisters | For "their support of black and Asian women's human rights" | Michael Irwin | [7] | ||
scope=row | 2011 | For "her work as chair of the European Parliamentary Platform for Secularism in Politic" | [8] | |||||
scope=row | 2012 | For "his lifelong commitment to the defence of human rights against religious fundamentalism" | [9] | |||||
scope=row | 2013 | — | Plan UK | "In honour of young human rights activist Malala Yousafzai, the prize was donated to Plan UK" for its campaign to ensure equal access to education for girls worldwide. | [10] | |||
scope=row | 2014 | For "her international work promoting secularism, Human Rights and gender equality as well as humanitarian aid and peace-building" | [11] | |||||
scope=row | 2015 | Charlie Hebdo | For "its courageous response to the terror attack on its Paris office and defence of secularism" | [12] | ||||
scope=row | 2016 | — | Educate Together | For "its work in challenging religious discrimination/privilege in Ireland's education system and setting out a positive vision for inclusive secular education" | [13] | |||
scope=row | 2017 | For "her advocacy of a secularist approach to tackling hate crime, promoting social cohesion and the human rights of women, and challenging sectarianism and theocracy" | [14] | |||||
2018 | — | For "their courageous campaigning work over many years to expose the institutional abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the Church of England" | Peter Tatchell | [15] | ||||
— | [16] | |||||||
scope=row | 2019 | — | For "his courageous defense of Asia Bibi and other clients in Pakistan accused of blasphemy" | [17] [18] |