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, seven World No Tobacco Day awards were presented to:

Dr Maha Al Kawari, Consultant, Family Physician, Representative on the Gulf Cooperation Council Anti-Tobacco Committee, Ministry of Health, Bahrain

Mr Mamdouh Sayed Omar, Undersecretary for Sales Taxes Administration, Ministry of Finance, Egypt

Dr Marziye Vahid Dastjerdi, Minister of Health and Medical Education and Head of the National Tobacco Control Headquarters, Islamic Republic of Iran

Dr Sami Al Nasser, Head of Public Health Services for Hawalli Health Region, Ministry of Health, Kuwait

Mr Mutaa Majzoub, Executive Director, Riaya Islamic Welfare Association, Lebanon

Dr Majed Abdullah Al Munif, General Supervisor, Tobacco Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia

Professor Abdellatif Chabbou, Professor, Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, El Manar University, Tunis and Secretary General, National League Against Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Tunisia

These individuals are strong tobacco control advocates and have actively contributed to various tobacco control-related activities at national level, particularly the adoption and implementation of tobacco control policies and measures. They have been instrumental in countering the evolving activities of the tobacco industry aimed at hindering tobacco control initiatives and activities.