We are looking for the bravest, most warmhearted humans, those possessed with the integrity to defend human rights, so that we can celebrate and recognize them.
We are looking for good deeds that set a precedent in the world of human rights, serve as a force for civic change, and have groundbreaking, transformational power.
We are looking for them because we know they often go unacknowledged and are under-appreciated.
Anyone can submit a nomination, either as individuals or organizations. Nominated organizations must be registered here in Bulgaria.
Individuals or organizations have to be nominated for a specific human rights activity or achievement that happened between November 16th of the previous year and November 15th of the current year.
Their activities (good deeds or practices) should meet some of the criteria by which the jury will determine which nominations to allow and accordingly select the award winners. Nominees should meet at least one of these criteria but do not have to meet all of them.
The Human of the Year Awards are presented annually by a jury of distinguished public figures, among them lawyers, journalists, medical doctors, experts, and civil society activists.
The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, founded in 1992, is an independent, non-governmental organization for the protection of human rights. The BHC monitors the human rights situation in Bulgaria in several priority areas: children’s rights, the rights of individuals, ethnic, sexual, and religious minorities; protection from torture and mistreatment; the rights of refugees and migrants; freedom of speech and access to information; the rights of people in closed institutions; and problems within the criminal justice system. The BHC also provides free legal assistance to victims of human rights violations and works to increase public awareness about human rights issues.
