For 16 years, GLAMOUR has honoured activists, record-breakers and trailblazers with our annual Women of the Year Awards. Whether they're chart-topping singers, multi-award-winning actors or change-demanding campaigners, each honouree has helped shape the world we live in today.
Our 2022 winners are no exception. Whether they're challenging the patriarchal male gaze through their fashion designs, fighting for the representation of marginalised communities both on- and off-screen, or using their voice to powerfully challenge the systemic rape culture that persists in the UK, these Women of the Year make our society a better place – and we thank them for it.
Meet our Women of the Year for 2022, in partnership with Samsung…
Anne-Marie
Anne-Marie has never been afraid to speak up, whether she's discussing her mental health, her sexuality, or the way women are treated in the music industry. With a highly-anticipated third album in the works, the pop star is determined to be a “friend” rather than just another celebrity to her fans. Like so many female musical icons before her, Anne-Marie has embraced vulnerability as one of her strengths, creating music that truly resonates with young women across the world.
Charithra Chandran
Charithra Chandran helped change the face of television when she appeared in Bridgerton – her second-ever TV role. Not only was she part of the first South Asian family to be main characters in a period drama, she has tirelessly called out racism and colourism on social media.
In partnership with Samsung.
Amelia Dimoldenberg
Amelia Dimz is a name synonymous with modern comedy. She's the founder and star of the wildly popular YouTube series Chicken Shop Date – ICYMI, where she dates celebrities in various UK chicken shops – which has become a cult phenomenon. Her signature deadpan delivery has seen her charm the likes of Jack Harlow and Ed Sheeran, and more recently, she's turned Louis Theroux into a midlife rapper via the Jiggle Jiggle. We stan the CEO of gen-Z comedy.
Soma Sara
In a world where women and girls are not safe, we are proud to honour a woman who is fighting to change that. Soma Sara started her campaign Everyone's Invited in 2020 to document her experience of growing up in our deeply misogynistic culture fraught with sexual violence and harassment. Now, the platform has turned into a grassroots movement with thousands of testimonials from young women and girls sharing their experience of rape culture in the UK – and how we begin to dismantle it.
Cynthia Erivo
It's a remarkable feat to have delivered several performances of a lifetime, but that's exactly what Cynthia Erivo has achieved. Since she gained international recognition for her role in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, she's starred as Harriet Tubman in Harriet – for which she received two Oscar nominations, picked up an Emmy for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the anthology TV series Genius, and landed the role of Elphaba in the movie adaptation of Wicked. It's clear that strong female characters come naturally to Erivo – we can't wait to see who she takes on next.
Nensi Dojaka
Nensi Dojaka has been on every Fashion Editor's radar since her epic debut for autumn/winter 2020, but the last year has seen the London-based designer's signature strappy, cut-out dresses go stratospheric. They've been worn by everyone from Zendaya and Bella Hadid to Sophie Turner and Beyoncé, and now Nensi has another gong to add to her growing list of accolades, which include a LVMH Prize and the British Fashion Council's Foundation Award for Emerging Designer Talent.
In partnership with Peroni Nastro Azzurro.
Nicola Coughlan
Two of the biggest shows that have graced our TV screens in recent years, Derry Girls and Bridgerton, have also introduced us to the undeniable talent and charm of Nicola Coughlan. Off screen, she has called out the sexist commentary on women's bodies in the media and joined Northern Ireland abortion protests. Our Sunday sofa sessions wouldn't be the same without her.
Munroe Bergdorf
Munroe Bergdorf is on a mission to cultivate creativity and diversity within the beauty industry, and so far? She's done an incredible job. As one of the first transgender models in the UK to achieve mainstream success, she's consistently held beauty brands to account and fronted many campaigns that celebrate gender fluidity, racial inclusivity, and body positivity. As if we couldn't get enough of Munroe, she's also releasing her debut book, Transitional, in February 2023.
In partnership with UOMA Beauty.
Samira Wiley
Since her first starring role in Netflix's Orange Is The New Black through to her Emmy Award-winning performance as Moira in The Handmaid's Tale, Samira Wiley has dedicated herself to socially-conscious roles that represent her communities as a queer, Black woman. She's just starred in sell-out West End show Blues for an Alabama Sky, about people dealing with the fallout of 1930s New York, another timely role in the wake of the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
Rita Ora
Synonymous with high fashion looks, a strong beauty game, and an overflowing schedule of presenting and performing commitments, Rita Ora is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She's used her platform as an entertainer to raise awareness of social injustices, speaking publicly about her family's decision to flee Kosovo – when she was a baby – due to the persecution of Albanians in the country, as well as supporting UNICEF campaigns to improve life for refugees seeking asylum in the UK.
Kim Cattrall
We all know Kim Cattrall as her Sex and the City character Samatha Jones who, in the late ‘90s, was radically sexually free without shame. But she's been a beacon of female empowerment off-screen, too, breaking taboos around being child-free and being unapologetically herself. Kim Cattrall has always been an icon, both on and off our screens.
