Hundreds of individuals are being acknowledged for their contributions to the country in the current year’s New Year Honours.
Below are a few of the esteemed individuals who have received recognition this year.
Sir Gareth Southgate has been knighted for his services to association football, having led England to the finals of the Euros in 2020 and 2024.
Sir Stephen Fry has also been awarded a knighthood in acknowledgment of his efforts in mental health awareness, environmental conservation, and charitable work.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been knighted for his contributions to politics and public service during his tenure since 2016.
Prolific author Jacqueline Wilson, renowned for creating the Tracy Beaker series, has been appointed a Dame Grand Cross (GBE) for her contributions to literature.
Jacqueline Wilson has been made a dame. Pic: PA
Television presenter Alan Titchmarsh receives a CBE, while Scottish journalist Jackie Bird is appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sir Kazuo Ishiguro is honored as a Companion of Honour for his services to literature, while author Robert Harris is bestowed a CBE.
Lee Castleton, Josephine Hamilton, Christopher David Head, Dr Kay Catherine Sheila Hilary Linnell, Seema Misra, Richard Gresham Haley are among those recognized for their advocacy on behalf of wrongfully convicted subpostmasters in the aftermath of the Horizon scandal.
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Keely Hodgkinson celebrates after winning the women’s 800-meters final at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Pic: AP
In the realm of sports, twenty-two-year-old Keely Hodgkinson is awarded an MBE for her gold medal in the 800m at the Olympics and achieving the sixth-fastest time in history at the distance.
Double Olympic champion Tom Pidcock receives an OBE for winning gold in mountain biking, while Paralympian Hannah Cockroft is recognized with a CBE for her victories in the T34 100m and 800m events.
Swimmers Duncan Scott (OBE) and William Ellard (MBE), sailor Ellie Aldridge (MBE), swimmer William Ellard, rowers Lola Anderson, Hannah Scott, Lauren Henry, Emily Craig, Dr Imogen Grant, Georgie Brayshaw, Gregg Stevenson (all MBE), fencer Dimitri Coutya (MBE) are all acknowledged for their gold-medal performances at the Games.
Paratriathlete David Ellis (MBE), shotputter Sabrina Fortune, athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, archer Nathan MacQueen, gymnast Bryony Page, cyclists Sophie Capewell, Sophie Unwin, Finley Graham, Dannielle Khan, Elizabeth Jordan are among those appointed MBEs.
Olympic and Paralympic champions Helen Glover, Samantha Kinghorn, Lauren Rowles, Alice Tai, Dina Asher-Smith, Jaco van Gass are also honored with OBEs, while Stephen Clegg receives an MBE.
Former captain of the Northern Ireland women’s football team, Marissa Callaghan, is awarded an MBE.
Former Masterchef and Through The Keyhole presenter Loyd Grossman is knighted.
Actresses Carey Mulligan, Sarah Lancashire, Coronation Street star Anne Reid are appointed Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for their contributions to drama, while Desmond’s star Carmen Munroe is made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).
Actor Eddie Marsan, Inspector Morse and Lewis actor Kevin Whately, Bafta-winning actress Anne-Marie Duff are conferred OBEs.
Radio and TV personality, former Popstars winner Myleene Klass, Radio presenter and DJ Steve Lamacq, former Doctor Who star Tom Baker are recognized as MBEs.
Costume designer Sandy Powell receives a CBE.
Former F1 driver and broadcaster Martin Brundle is honored with an OBE, and former Scotland and Liverpool footballer Alan Hansen is appointed an MBE.
Labour MP Emily Thornberry is elevated to the title of dame, and former West Midlands mayor Andy Street is knighted.
Carole Gould and Julie Devey, founders of Killed Women, are granted OBEs for their advocacy on behalf of women murdered in their homes.
Ivan Black began raising money after his brother Ian died from leukaemia. Pic: Ivan Black / Facebook
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Cancer crusader Ivan Black is awarded an MBE for his substantial fundraising efforts amounting to over £700,000 throughout his lifetime.
18-year-old cancer survivor Mikayla Beames, among the youngest honorees, receives a British Empire Medal for founding a cancer charity.
Mikayla Beames is the youngest person on the list to receive an honour. Pic: PA
Shipwreck explorer David Mearns, credited with discovering 29 shipwrecks, is named an OBE.
Joeli Brearley, founder of parents’ rights group Pregnant Then Screwed, is appointed an MBE.
Nathaniel Dye, a music teacher battling terminal cancer since 2023, expresses hope that his MBE award will elevate his activism.
Eric Brown, 78, is honored with an MBE for his advocacy on behalf of terrorism victims through the South East Fermanagh Foundation.
Retired solicitor Gordon Hay is also granted an MBE for his efforts in promoting the Doric language, spoken in northeast Scotland.
Having spent 17 years translating the New Testament and Old Testament into Doric, this marks the first time the complete text has been translated into any form of Scots language.
The eldest honoree, 103-year-old World War Two pilot Colin Bell, receives a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his charitable fundraising and public speaking engagements.
The King’s GP Dr Douglas Glass and Professor Richard Leach are recognized for their service to the Royal Family, with Dr Glass appointed as a Commander and Prof Leach as a Lieutenant of the RVO.
Head of MI5 Ken McCallum is also knighted.
Over 1,200 individuals from various parts of the UK have been honored in the latest list.
Women constitute 49% of the honorees, with 12% hailing from ethnic minority backgrounds.
3% of the individuals on the list identify as LGBT, 15% have disabilities or long-term health conditions, and 33% come from lower socio-economic backgrounds.