Inaugural Blueprint Prize Event Held in London

Raj Mattu, winner of the UK Blueprint Prize for Whistleblowing, with Lady Hollick and Stephen Sackur

Whistleblowers were honoured for their contribution to civil society at the first Blueprint Prize award ceremony in London, inaugurated by Blueprint for Free Speech and hosted by Thomson Reuters.

John Kiriakou accepts the International Blueprint Prize for Whistleblowing

A diverse group of individuals from six different countries were recognised for their “bravery, integrity and commitment to the public interest” in exposing workplace corruption, government wrongdoing and detriments to public safety, often at considerable personal cost.

Three major prizes were awarded this year, by a panel consisting of Walkley award-winning journalist Mark Davis, businesswoman and consultant Lady Susan Hollick, and Blueprint director Dr Suelette Dreyfus.

The UK prize was awarded to Doctor Raj Mattu for exposing public health risks at the Warwickshire NHS Trust from 2001 onward. The International prize was awarded to former CIA officer John Kiriakou for revealing information about the US government’s practise of the waterboarding of terror suspects. A special Enduring Impact award was also made to Chelsea Manning who revealed information on potential war crimes to Wikileaks in 2009 and 2010.

More details of the event, and other whistleblowers honoured for their important contributions to free speech are online at the Blueprint Prize website.

Aaron Kirkhouse accepts from Mark Davis the Blueprint Enduring Impact Award, on behalf of whistleblower Chelsea Manning