Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) presents awards to key people and/or organizations that have made valuable contributions to tobacco control and have helped make World No Tobacco Day and its theme a great success. These awards are an expression of WHO's appreciation of the great time and effort that these contributors have invested in the campaigns, as well as in fighting tobacco.

This year, six World No Tobacco Day awards were presented to:

Dr Mariam Al-Jalahma, Assistant Undersecretary for Primary Care and Public Health, Bahrain

Dr Hamdy El Sayed, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Head of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, Egypt

Dr Alireza Mesdaghinia, Deputy for Health, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Islamic Republic of Iran

Mrs Mawya Zawawi Hammad, Founder and General Director, Lina and Green Hand Society, Jordan

Dr Jawad Ahmed Al Lawati, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Department, Ministry of Health, Oman

Dr Alaa Aldeen Abdalla Abo Zed, Associated Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Khartoum University, Sudan

These individuals are strong tobacco control advocates and have actively contributed to various tobacco control-related activities at national level, particularly the implementation of tobacco control laws. Their role in advancing and implementing specific articles of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has been instrumental.