Last chance to buy tickets for Secularist of the Year
Posted: Fri, 21st Mar 2014
With just a week to go until Secularist of the Year, time is running out to get your tickets for the highlight of the secular social calendar.
This year's prize will be presented by the Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Kerry McCarthy MP, on Saturday 29 March in central London.
The annual awards luncheon brings together secularists from around the country, as well as some of our honorary associates.
Tickets for this year's event are priced at £45. This includes a cocktail on arrival and a three-course meal with tea and coffee. Tickets will be on sale until Thursday 27th March.
This year's shortlist for the award is as follows:
Nick Cohen – for his eloquent and passionate defence of free speech and for consistently standing up for secularist principles in the media. An example of which can be found here.
Jem Henderson – for standing up for the rights of all Girlguides, to take the new secular oath after guide leaders refused to drop God from the promise. One person who nominated Jem described her as "an inspiration" and praised her "tremendous courage and integrity" when opposed in the media by powerful public figures and organisations.
Safak Pavey, member of the Turkish Parliament – for consistently standing up in defence of secularism in Turkey, as the Islamist-leaning Government tries to dismantle it. In 2012, she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award by the US Department of State. You can read a piece by Safak on secularism here.
Abhishek Phadnis and Chris Moos (jointly) – for bravely challenging Islamist groups, their own university (LSE) and Universities UK over important and fundamental issues such as free speech and gender segregation.
Gita Sahgal – for her advocacy of secularism and tireless activism against fundamentalism, blasphemy laws, restrictions on free speech and violence against women. Gita was co-founder of Southall Black Sisters and Women Against Fundamentalism and more recently founded Centre for Secular Space.
Dan Snow – for promoting a secular vision for the national ceremony of remembrance and challenging the Church of England's dominant role at the Cenotaph.
Previous years' events have all sold out, so please don't delay if you want to join us for what promises to be another memorable occasion.
Secularist of the Year
Secularist of the Year is an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding groups and individuals advancing secularism and related human rights. This year's award will be presented at our Secularism 2019 conference. Nominations are now open.
