Robert Burns Humanitarian Award

The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award is an award presented annually around the time of Robert Burns' birthday to a group or individual who has saved, improved or enriched the lives of others or society as a whole, through self-sacrifice, selfless service, hands-on charitable or volunteer work, or other acts.

The winner receives a 1759 guinea, which signifies the year of the bard's birth and the coinage then in circulation, and a specially commissioned award handcrafted in Scotland.

The judging panel is chaired by David Anderson, chief executive of South Ayrshire Council, and includes journalist and broadcaster Kaye Adams; actor, writer and painter John Cairney; Nat Edwards, director of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum; Habib Malik, former RBHA winner and head of Islamic Relief Scotland; Robert Stewart, president of the Robert Burns World Federation; Guy Willoughby, former RBHA winner and chief executive of the HALO Trust; and Rob Woodward, chief executive of STV.

Award recipients

 * 2002: John E. Sulston
 * 2003: Yitzhak Frankenthal
 * 2004: Clive Stafford Smith
 * 2005: Pius Ncube
 * 2006: Marla Ruzicka
 * 2007: Adi Roche
 * 2008: Jonathan Kaplan
 * 2009: Guy Willoughby
 * 2010: Habib Malik
 * 2011: Linda Norgrove
 * 2012: Karen Graham
 * 2013: Khalil Dale OBE
 * 2016: David Nott, surgeon
 * 2017: Marcelline Budza
 * 2018: Anna Ferrer
 * 2019: Jasvinder Sanghera CBE
 * 2020: Josh Littlejohn MBE
 * 2021: Mark Williamson (Sweet for Addicts)
 * 2022: Dr Digambar Narzary
 * 2023: Dr Renuka Ramakrishnan
 * 2024 Gail Penfold

From 2014, a new young persons' element was introduced: the Robert Burns Humanitarian Medal, for people aged 16-25 years from anywhere in the world.