Harm Reduction International presents a number of awards at our international conference to acknowledge the contributions of outstanding groups or individuals in the fields of drug use, health and human rights.
Nominations for 2023 recipients will open in June 2022. View each section, below, for further details on selection criteria and to see previous winners.
This award was first presented at the ‘3rd International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm’ in Melbourne in 1992 and is given to an individual, group or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to harm reduction at an international level.
The award aims to recognise work in any of the following areas:
There is no cash prize for this award; the winner will be presented with a trophy and will have their name listed on the HRI website. The top scoring nominees will be listed in the HR23 programme and website.
Nomination criteria
Nominations are invited for individuals, groups or organisations working at the community level, national and/or international levels.
The following criteria, with a focus on ‘international significance,’ will be considered and assessed in reviewing the nominees:
Background
The award is named after Sir Humphry Rolleston, President of the Royal College of Physicians who chaired the UK Departmental Committee on Morphine and Heroin Addiction. In 1926 the committee concluded that the prescription of heroin or morphine could be regarded as legitimate medical treatment for those who required it – a decision that epitomises a benign, pragmatic and humane approach to drug problems, and was a landmark event in the history of harm reduction.
Previous Winners
The National Rolleston Award is given to an individual, group or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to harm reduction in the conference host country. For HR23, all nominations for this award must come from Australia.
The award aims to recognise work in any of the following areas:
There is no cash prize for this award; the winner will be presented with a trophy and will have their name listed on the HRI website. The top scoring nominees will be listed in the HR23 programme and website.
Nomination criteria
Nominations are invited for individuals, groups or organisations working at the community level, national and/or international levels.
The following criteria, with a focus on ‘national significance,’ will be considered and assessed in reviewing the nominees:
Background
The award is named after Sir Humphry Rolleston, President of the Royal College of Physicians who chaired the UK Departmental Committee on Morphine and Heroin Addiction. In 1926 the committee concluded that the prescription of heroin or morphine could be regarded as legitimate medical treatment for those who required it – a decision that epitomises a benign, pragmatic and humane approach to drug problems, and was a landmark event in the history of harm reduction.
Previous Winners
This award has been presented each year since 2005 to a person who either used to, or currently uses drugs, and who has made an outstanding contribution to reducing drug-related harm.
There is no cash prize for this award; the winner will receive a scholarship to attend HR23, will be presented with a trophy and will have their name listed on the HRI website. The top scoring nominees will be listed in the HR23 programme and website.
Nomination criteria
Nominations are invited for individuals, groups or organisations working at the community level, national and/or international levels.
The following criteria will be considered and assessed in reviewing the nominees:
Background
The award was initially named after Travis Jenkins, an extraordinary jazz musician and composer who died of cancer in 2004. In 2009, the award was renamed to include the name of Travis’s wife, Carol, who worked for many years with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research as a medical anthropologist, and was one of the leading instigators to setting up the National Aids Council. Carol Jenkins was renowned for her research into sexual behaviour and was a leading expert on HIV/AIDS. Equally important was her connection with the Hagahai people of Papua New Guinea, who were her second family.
Previous Winners
The Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE - formerly the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy) launched the Brooklyn McNeil Rae of Hope Award at HR17 in Montreal, to honour the best scientific abstract in the area of harm reduction or drug policy. The aim of the award is to encourage high-quality scientific research to support evidence-based advocacy efforts in drug policy reform. The winner receives a waiver to publish in the peer-reviewed open-access Harm Reduction Journal, as well as AUD $830.
The award is named after Brooklyn Rae McNeil, a vocal advocate for safer injection sites and a vital support in the lives of many people who use drugs in Toronto, Canada. As a harm reduction activist whose life was cut too short as a result of an opioid overdose, Brooklyn’s spirit serves as an unwavering reminder of the need to conduct research and evidence-based advocacy to prevent the senseless loss of lives that could be avoided with drug policies grounded in evidence and human rights.
Previous Winners
This award was jointly presented by Harm Reduction International and the Burnet Institute (Australia), from 2004 until 2015, to the best film or documentary at the International Drugs and Harm Reduction Film Festival.
Previous Winners
Harm Reduction International’s Board created the Honoured Life Member award for people who have given “outstanding and distinguished service to Harm Reduction International.”
The first awards were presented at a special function during Harm Reduction International’s 21st Conference in Liverpool, in 2010.
The awards were presented to:
