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People of outstanding merit

Anyone can be nominated for an honour, but only exceptional people are honoured. The latest list includes dance teachers, pharmacists, fashion designers, foster carers, head teachers, charity workers and Nobel-prize-winning scientists.

This year those honoured work in a wide range of fields, including academia, local arts and sports projects, schools, community work, heritage projects, government offices and museums.

In total 984 people have been recommended to The Queen for an award. 70 per cent of the recipients are local heroes, who’ve undertaken outstanding work in their communities.

• New Year Honours List 2012 - full details

• Download the full list of diplomatic service, fire, police and military honours (PDF, 178K)

• Help with PDF files

Famous names

Among the well-known people who have received awards are:

• Penelope Lively, a writer of books for adults and children, who becomes a Dame
• the entertainer Ronnie Corbett, most famous for his television comedy, who receives a CBE
• TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, awarded an OBE for her services to charity and the armed forces
• the actress Helena Bonham-Carter, who gets a CBE
• Formula One racing driver Nigel Mansell, now honoured with a CBE for his charity work with young people
• the writer, broadcaster and poet Clive James, who receives a CBE
• journalist Alex Crawford, whose reporting on the Libyan conflict received much acclaim, gets an OBE

The honours system

Honours lists are published twice a year, at New Year and in mid-June on the date of The Queen's official birthday. Anyone can receive an award if they reach the required standard of merit or service, and honours lists contain a wide variety of people from different backgrounds. Anyone can nominate someone for an award.

• Nominating someone for an honour

• The honours process explained

• Honours lists