Celebrating global achievements in tackling AMR: 2025 Antibiotic Guardian Awards

On Monday 9th June 2025, the seventh Antibiotic Guardian Awards took place, recognising the outstanding contributions of healthcare professionals, researchers, educators and organisations across the UK and globally working to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Organised by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), this year’s event brought together more than 130 attendees in a hybrid format to share learning and celebrate impact.

The Antibiotic Guardian campaign is an initiative that empowers professionals and the public to take action against AMR by pledging to use antibiotics responsibly. With over 212,000 pledges made since the campaign launched, it continues to grow in reach and impact, with participants from over 200 countries and resources now available in 11 languages.

We were delighted to support this year's ceremony as event sponsors, and proud to sponsor the Innovation and Technology category, which recognises creative solutions that help address AMR across human, animal and environmental health.

This year’s ceremony featured a powerful new AMR lecture and panel discussion with keynote speakers including Dr Marisa Holubar (Stanford University), Prof Bola Owolabi (NHS England), and Dr Fraser Broadfoot (VMD), alongside patient advocate Miss R, who shared her moving personal story of living with antibiotic-resistant infections. UCL PhD student Becky McCall also contributed to the panel, offering insights into using storytelling to communicate the complexity of AMR to the public.

Other award-winning projects spanned categories such as public engagement, research, stewardship, diagnostic innovation, and health inequalities - including work led by youth AMR ambassadors across Africa, NHS teams tackling AMR in the Roma population in West Yorkshire, and veterinary stewardship initiatives in Wales and Uganda.

Closing the event, our Deputy Director, Dr Colin Brown (UKHSA) reflected on the importance of community, collaboration, and patient voices in the global effort to safeguard antibiotics. He noted that initiatives like the Antibiotic Guardian Awards are critical vehicles in driving innovation and shared learning across sectors.

Professor Ingemar Cox, Director of the Digital Health Hub for AMR said: “The annual Antibiotic Guardian Awards spotlight the cutting-edge, cross-sector work happening to address one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. As a Hub dedicated to harnessing digital technologies to tackle AMR, we were proud to support this year’s event and champion innovation that bridges research and real-world impact. Seeing so many inspiring projects recognised was a powerful reminder of the importance of collaboration, and just how much progress is possible when we come together across disciplines and borders.”

Congratulations to all nominees and winners. Explore the full list of winners and projects here: www.antibioticguardian.com/shared-learning

Image credit: Antibiotic Guardian website - photos in collage with thanks to @stevencreamerphotography and Commonwealth Pharmacists Association.