Lucia Mee, an 18-year-old from Ballycastle in Northern Ireland, is the youngest person on the Queen's New Years Honours list.
Mee, who has undergone three liver transplants after being diagnosed with auto immune hepatitis at a young age, receives a British Empire Medal for her work raising awareness of organ donation.
Mee said she hopes press coverage of her honour will encourage more people to discuss organ donation with their loved ones. "The fact that I’m here and really able to do this is down to the fact that there are organ donors," she told the PA. "If people know their loved ones’ wishes, they are more likely to say yes to organ donation."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The New Years Honours list is designed to recognise "the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom." A total of 1,123 people have received an award in this year's list, of whom 551 (or 49%) are women.
The government has also said that around 9% of people on this year's list come from a BAME background, which is the same proportion as last year according to The Guardian.
Among the inspiring women recognised in the list are five members of England's World Cup-winning cricket team, including captain Heather Knight, who receives a CBE.
Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman and prolific author Jilly Cooper are both awarded CBEs. Grace Ladoja, who manages Skepta, is made an MBE.
Ballet dancer-turned-Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell is made a Dame. Cathy Warwick, former chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, and Clare Marx, former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, also receive Damehoods.
Though the famous faces will inevitably attract more attention, the vast majority of people recognised in the list carry out their work outside of the public eye. Among them is Aina Khan, a lawyer from Hertfordshire who campaigns to ensure all marriages in the UK are officially registered, in order to offer full legal protection to wives and children.
Speaking to the BBC about her OBE, Khan said: "You probably imagine it will be middle-aged English men getting it the most, but when the envelope arrives it's a really special feeling, because you realise it's actually something that's real and happens to ordinary people."