"Human of the Year" is the annual Bulgarian Helsinki Committee award recognizing contributions to human rights in Bulgaria. It is a moral award with no financial value and is being awarded for seven consecutive years now. Anyone can nominate a person, group or organization on the basis of public criteria. The deeds we are looking for should (alternatively) be unprecedented in the legal sphere, possess a special constructive potential and be original and creative. There were 35 selected nominations this year and the online votes for the "Audience Award" reached 6,000.

The volunteers and donors, who helped during the floods in Bulgaria were honored with the award "Human of the Year"

"In the spring and summer of 2014 hundreds of citizens from across the country, including foreigners and refugees, flocked to areas affected by the torrential rains and flooding to help in preventing further casualties and damage, and to protect the dignity of the victims. The jury praised the volunteers and donors with the award the 'Human of the Year' of 2014 for the rapid and appropriate action taken by these people without any self-interest. The reaction of volunteers and benefactors across the country is a strong example of categorical civic engagement with the protection of people injured because of institutional neglect and inappropriate public authorities' actions in rescuing and supporting those affected. It is the volunteers who helped in upholding the right of everyone to life and security," said Krassimir Kanev, Chairman of the "Human of the year" 2014 awards jury.

Association Samaritans and Initiative for Health Foundation were both awarded second prizes.

Association Samaritans was awarded for their dedicated work for the social inclusion of children, youth and adults with disabilities, providing various types of social services and the introduction of best practices in Bulgaria, including the "Blue Room" in Stara Zagora - a specialized room for friendly interviewing of child victims or witnesses of crimes.

The Initiative for Health Foundation - the second runner-up - was awarded by the jury for their hard work on harm reduction. The foundation started the first needle exchange program for injection drug users in Bulgaria. Their systematic work has contributed to the continuing significant drop in drug users being newly infected with HIV (from over 40% in 2008 to around 10% in 2014).

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and the "Human of the Year" 2014 jury also presented four special awards:

Rosen Tsvetkov received the "Journalist of the Year" award: In December 2013 Rosen Tsvetkov, together with Georgi Totev, made a hidden camera report in the registrar's office in the town of Harmanli. The material included conversations between border police officers, indicating they had been given orders to use brute force in order to return asylum seekers to Turkey.

Ruslan Trad received the "Activist of the Year" award: His organization Forum for Arab Culture and his blog have published materials on refugee and migrant topics in support of intercultural dialogue and understanding. Ruslan Trad was one of the strongest voices bringing sense and calm during the "refugee crisis" in the end of 2013.

Boyana Petkova received the "Inspiration of the Year" award for her ceaseless struggle with bureaucratic indifference and her support of parents who have experienced intrauterine or prenatal death of a child. Two years ago her foundation "Poppies for Mary" launched a campaign aiming to change a Bulgarian law, according to which stillborn babies are burned as biological waste along with hospital junk, without parents having the right to bury them.

Roma MATRIX project received the "Lifetime Achievement" award for their legal fight against discrimination, racism, intolerance and xenophobia towards Roma and their effort to facilitate equal access of Roma to education and health services. The project earned the votes of the jury with its campaign We Are Not an Exception, which displays positive images and examples among the Roma in Bulgaria and depicts successful young Roma who strive to fulfill their dreams in work and study.

The "Audience Award," voted on by members of the public, went to Lyubomila Krivoshieva, founder and manager of Wild Animals Foundation. Her foundation is the only one in the capital of Bulgaria that you could call in case of an injured or threatened wild animal.

You can find all nominees and their full profiles here.