Tickets on sale and nominations open for Secularist of the Year 2017!

It isn't long until Secularist of the Year 2017, and the National Secular Society is seeking your nominations for the award.

The £5,000 Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year is presented by the NSS to an individual or an organisation considered to have made an outstanding contribution to secularism and human rights.

The prize money is kindly donated by NSS honorary associate Dr Michael Irwin.

NSS president Terry Sanderson said: "This event is a great opportunity to mark the hard work and dedication of a group or individual committed to secularism.

"Who do you think has been the best advocate for secularism in the past year? Send us your nominations."

Last year the winner of Secularist of the Year was Educate Together, the educational charity which runs inclusive, non-religious schools in Ireland and the UK, modelling what a secular education system would look like.

Previous winners include Charlie Hebdo, who received the award in 2015 for their courageous response to the terror attack on their Paris office and subsequent survivor's edition, and their editorial defending laicite and the right to free expression.

Turkish opposition MP Safak Pavey won the award in 2014, and in 2013 Plan UK received the prize money in honour of Malala Yousafzai.

Peter Tatchell was named Secularist of the Year in 2012 for his lifelong defence of human rights in the face of religious fundamentalism and previous winners include Sophie in' t Veld MEP, the Southall Black Sisters, former LibDem MP Evan Harris and Lord Avebury who given the award jointly for their work on the abolition of the blasphemy law, Mina Ahadi of the German Central Council of Ex-Muslims, Professor Steve Jones, and Maryam Namazie.

Other awards are also presented by the Society at the event, to note contributions of a large number of campaigners in many different fields who work to promote secularism.

The awards will be presented at a lunch event in central London on 18^th March 2017.