Every year during the Symposium, and the Allied Professionals Forum the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations presents three awards to recognise excellence in the ALS/MND community. The awards are described below, along with a list of previous winners and the nomination forms.
The Forbes Norris Award
The Forbes Norris Award, first presented in 1994, honours the memory of Dr. Forbes “Ted” Norris (1928-1993), a neurologist who dedicated his career to helping people with ALS/MND. The purpose of this prestigious award is to encourage a combination of two major qualities: management of and advances in understanding ALS/MND, to the benefit of people living with the disease.
Click here to nominate a neurologist for the Forbes Norris Award
(Nominations accepted 1 May through 1 October.)
Nominations for the Forbes Norris Award are considered from 1 May through 1 October annually; the awards are presented each year during the opening ceremony of the International Symposium on ALS/MND. If there are no qualified candidates nominated in a particular year, the award will not be granted.
Previous Winners
1994 Professor Vincent Meininger
1995 Dr. Teepu Siddique
1996 Dr. Donald Mulder
1997 Professor Nigel Leigh
1998 Dr. Hiroshi Mitsumoto
1999 Dr. Andrew Eisen
2000 Professor Michael Swash
2001 Dr. Lewis P. (Bud) Rowland
2002 Professor Vianney DeJong
2003 Dr. Robert H. Brown
2004 Dr. Robert G. Miller
2005 Dr. Stanley Appel
2006 Dr. Walter G. Bradley
2007 Dame Professor Pamela Shaw
2008 Dr. Michael Strong
2009 Professor Christopher Shaw
2010 Dr. Edward Kasarskis
2011 Professor Orla Hardiman
2012 Dr. Benjamin Brooks
2013 Dr. Leonard van den Berg
2014 Dr. Matthew Kiernan
2015 Dr. Terry Heiman-Patterson
2016 Dr. Mamede de Carvalho
2017 Dr. Merit Cudkowicz
2018 Dr. Angela Genge
The Humanitarian Award
The Humanitarian Award was inaugurated in 2000 by the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations to recognise a non-scientific contribution to the fight against ALS/MND. The Humanitarian Award is intended to recognise and encourage individuals and/or groups whose work makes, or has made, a contribution of international significance for people affected by ALS/MND.
2019 Humanitarian Award Recipient
The recipient of the 2019 Humanitarian Award is Dario Ryba. Dario’s father was diagnosed with ALS/MND in 2011. This the same year he founded 
the first and only organization for people affected by ALS/MND in Argentina. Dario has designed training programs for caregivers, and authored self help guides for people living with ALS/MND. His work has seen him travel to research centers and hospitals in different countries to learn and share information in relation to the research and treatments available to those living with ALS/MND.
Dario is the current President of UNELA (Union of Latin American ALS/MND Associations) which was established in 2018.
In 2015, Dario was recognized in Argentina for his Humanitarian efforts.
Click here to nominate an ALS/MND advocate for the Humanitarian Award
(Nominations accepted May 1 through October 1)
Nominations for the Humanitarian Award are considered from 1 May through 1 October annually; the awards are presented each year during the opening ceremony of the International Symposium on ALS/MND. If there are no qualified candidates nominated in a particular year, the award will not be granted.
Previous Winners
2000 The MND Association of England, Wales and Northern Ireland
2001 Yuko Matsuoka
2002 Dee Holden Norris
2003 Dr. David Oliver
2005 The MND Association of South Africa
2006 Mrs. Misao Hashimoto
2007 Tricia Holmes
2008 Rodney Harris
2009 Professor Kathy Mitchell
2010 Jette Moeller
2011 Danny Reviers and Mia Mahy
2012 Gudjon Sigurdsson
2013 Dr. Jeffrey Dietch
2014 Wendy Abrams
2015 Jesus Mora
2016 James Allen Heywood and Benjamin Heywood
2017 Peter Frates, Patrick Quinn and Anthony Senerchia, Jr., the founders of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
2018 Dr. Brian Dickie
Allied Health Professional Award
The Allied Health Professional Award was inaugurated in 2018 by the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations to recognise an individual committed to providing exceptional care to people with ALS/MND. To celebrate the sharing of expertise and exploration of new ideas to improve patient care and to recognise significant contribution to the advancement of ALS/MND clinical management.
2019 Allied Professional Award Recipient
The recipient of the 2019 Allied Health Professional Award winner is Rachael Marsden. In her professional life, Rachel provides a point-of-contact 
service for patients between clinic visits, and facilitates the communication of information between all those locally involved in an individual patient’s care. She has contributed to numerous publications as well as given numerous presentations and educational seminars on the care of individuals with ALS/MND. A small sampling of her publications include Motor Neuron Disease, as part of the Facts Series, published in 2008 along with Kevin Talbot, MD co-author and the Oxford Care Manuals Motor Neuron Disease A Practical Manual, 2010, co-author.
Since June 2019, she (and her riding companion) are attempting to set a world record as the fastest women to circumnavigate the globe on a tandem bicycle. They are aiming to raise £18,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Oxfam.
You can follow Rachael’s ride progress @TandemWow.
Click here to nominate a Health Care Professional for the Allied Health Professional Award
(Nominations accepted May 1 through to October 1)
Nominations for the Allied Health Professional Award May 1 to October 1 annually: this award is presented each year during the Allied Professionals Forum between the Alliance Meeting and the International Symposium on ALS/MND. If there are no qualified candidates nominated in a particular year, the award will not be granted.
Previous Winners
2018 Dr. Sara Feldman