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Chris Mears and Mark Gatiss among those honoured at Winq Men of the Year 2016

By Will Stroude

Wednesday afternoon saw an array of celebrities, activists and cultural figures gathered at the Rosewood London hotel to celebrate Winq’s Men of the Year 2016.

The British gay lifestyle magazine honoured those who’ve contributed to the world of culture, business, politics and sport over the last 12 months while improving the visibility, representation and lives of LGBT people in the process.

Some of the big wins of the night include Chris Mears, who won the Sport Award after becoming one of the first ever British divers to win Gold at the Olympics alongside with partner Jack Laugher, before subsequently facing jibes from the tabloid press with a decidedly homophobic undercurrent.

Meanwhile, Senior Vice President of PETA Dan Mathews was presented with the Activism award by Vivienne Westwood for a lifetime dedicated to animal rights, and author and political commentator Owen Jones received the Media Award for his infamous Sky News walk-out in the aftermath of June’s tragic Orlando shooting.

The biggest prize of the night however was saved for  multi-talented screenwriter and director Mike Gatiss, who won the coveted Man of the Year Award for his wide ranging contributions to the world of culture, including his work on Game of Thrones, Sherlock and Wolf Hall.

Check out the full list of winners below, and be sure to catch their full feature interviews in Winq Winter 2016 – out now.

Man of the Year – Mark Gatiss

The Sport Award: Chris Mears

Music Award: Bright Light Bright Light

Culture Award: Jonathan Harvey

Activism Award: Dan Mathews

Media Award: Owen Jones

Business Award: Roja Dove

Travel Award: International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association

Elton John AIDS Foundation Award: Dr Will Nutland

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