Past Childfree Award Winners

2021 Childfree Person of the Year: Margaret O’Connor

Margaret O’Connor lives in Ireland, and works as a counsellor, psychotherapist and lecturer. A first of its kind in Ireland, her services include ‘Are Kids For Me?’ which helps those struggling with the decision on whether or not to have children. She also hosts the podcast, Are Kids For Me?. Margaret has been featured in national media, works toward childfree people being seen more in society and wants people to respect that having children should not be a given.

2021 Childfree Group of the Year: We are Childfree

Founded by Zoe Noble, We are Childfree is an online and in-person childfree community with a mission to inspire and empower childfree people to embrace their decision and live their best childfree lives. It reaches childfree people globally through its portrait series with stories, podcast, and Instagram, Facebook and twitter and social channels. We are Childfree’s platform celebrates childfree women and gender diverse people, explores childfree experiences, and dispels the myths society holds about people who make the childfree choice.

2020 Childfree Person of the Year: Elizabeth Hintz

Elizabeth Hintz is a childfree academic who has dedicated her professional career to understanding and normalizing childfree experiences. Her research examines how society talks about childfreedom, and studies the issues which childfree people encounter in daily life, such as discussing childfreedom with others, navigating the workplace, and negotiating difficult conversations about reproduction and contraception with medical providers. Her research also highlights the benefits of childfreedom. As an advocate for the acceptance of the childfree choice in both professional and personal capacities, Elizabeth aims to promote social justice for the childfree community.

2020 Childfree Group of the Year: Overheard by Childfree Internet Community

Alex Crown and the Russian childfree internet community, Overheard by Childfree, have helped many childfree people find support in Russia. With over 60k subscribers, everyday people share feelings and ideas about being childfree and get support in tough life situations. Over the years, in the words of nominator, Stefan, Alex and this internet support group have done “so much to spread the idea that ‘childfree = normal’ in Russia!”

2019 Childfree Person of the Year: Soot Liang Woo

Soot Liang Woo is the founder of Furget Me Not Sanctuary in Thailand. After working for many years as a Tax Director for Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific in Singapore, she entered early retirement and moved to Thailand. These plans soon changed after she became deeply moved by the number and plight of “soi” (Thai street) dogs she saw. She began re-homing, rehabilitating, and offering the care and attention they desperately needed in her own home. This grew to her founding the Furget Me Not Sanctuary. Soot and her team work 365 days a year to sterilize and vaccinate thousands of  street dogs and cats, and rehome many dogs and cats each year, locally and abroad. Soot makes a significant dent in the stray dog and cat overpopulation issue in her city and beyond. Soot chose to be childfree to address the human overpopulation issue.

2019 Childfree Group of the Year: Childfree India 

Childfree India‘s worldwide efforts promote the subjects of childfreedom, antinatalism, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT) and Efilism. Key players include Raphael Samuel, who has appeared in news media around the world, and Pratima R Naik, a vital anti-procreative, feminist, environmental and youth rights activist. In February 2019, Raphael, Pratima and Childfree India conducted the first Childfree/Antinatalism/VHEMT/EFILism Meetup in Bangalore, India, called “Stop Making Babies” – the first event of its kind.  This historic event received international press. Childfree India has been instrumental in bringing together people from around the world who have no children for their own personal and ideological reasons.

2018 Childfree Person of the Year: Emma Palmer

Emma Palmer (England) is an author, psychotherapist and eco-psychologist. Her book, Other than Mother: Choosing Childlessness with Life in Mind, explores the parenthood decision, and was nominated for Best Book in the 2016 Population Institute’s Global Media Awards. Following its publication, Emma set out to build bridges between the childless and childfree through workshops for those who are without children by choice, circumstance, happenstance or loss. Through her Zen practice she sees the entire universe as her child, and brings a “parental mind” of love and nurturing to all her ecological and therapeutic work. She serves as a positive role model of bringing parenting and nurturing energies for the betterment of the world.

2018 Childfree Group of the Year: Bev and Chris Franz

Bev and Chris Franz (US) hosedt the Married Without Children: Living a Childfree Marriage podcast. With an array of topics, they share their experiences and educate listeners. Bev and Chris also give voice to their listeners; they discuss emails listeners have sent to them between episodes, allowing people to have their thoughts and issues brought to the forefront. Bev and Chris help childfree listeners know that they aren’t alone, there are many different flavors of being childfree and that it’s OK to be how they are. In a public medium, they also open the door to non-childfree people. Their podcast helps anyone to think twice before making snap judgments about the childfree lifestyle.

2017 Childfree Woman of the Year: Krystal Brown

Krystal Brown (US) is a blogger, author, and singer/songwriter. She has known she did not want children since the age of sixteen. In her teens, she began writing letters to the editor on subjects of interest to the childfree, e.g., women in the workforce, the “most important job in the world” debate, women’s health and reproductive issues. Krystal  runs the blog, “Freedom in Frugality,” and is the author of the e-book, Tales from the Gutter, which chronicles her life as a young black woman growing up in Chesapeake, Virginia. Her first self-released album is entitled, “Stripped,” which has songs and lyrics that deal with how childfreedom is not socially acceptable in many circles.

2017 Childfree Man of the Year: Karim Akerma 

Karim Akerma (Germany) is a philosopher, writer and blogger. He adheres to a philosophy of non-procreation, and for many years has worked to raise the level of awareness of the ethics of having children. Karim is the author of several books and publications, and runs a website and blog that discusses topics related to not having children. His most recent book on the philosophy of non-procreation called, Antinatalismus – Ein Handbuch (translated: Antinatalism – A Manual) includes discussion and examination of childfreedom.  Karim is passionate about reducing suffering in the world.

2016 Childfree Woman of the Year: Crystal Money

Crystal Money (US) is an academic researcher, instructor, and advisor at Kennesaw State University. Crystal gave a 2017 TEDx talk entitled “Southern Discomfort: Choosing Childfree,” highlighting the cultural expectations and pitfalls for Southern women. She has a passion for all things non-normative in life and appreciates being an active part of the childfree community. Crystal and her husband, Mike, live the DINK life in their weird spaceship house with their two adorable pups, Archie and Olivia.

2016 Childfree Man of the Year: Vincent Ciaccio

Vinny Ciaccio (US) is a Research and Data Quality Analyst at the Legal Aid Society, which provides legal representation for low-income New Yorkers. His postgraduate work focused on the childfree; his dissertation is on stereotypes regarding childfree persons in comparison to childless people and parents, including how those stereotypes may affect those persons in the workplace. Vincent has made television and radio appearances and featured in many newspapers and magazines to discuss the childfree.

2015 Childfree Woman of the Year: Laura LaVoie

Laura LaVoie (US) is a writer, blogger, and event coordinator. She has been published in magazines and anthologies on the subjects of mythology and culture. She has written for TheNotMom.com, and has served as the event coordinator for the NotMom Summit, a national conference for women who are NotMoms by chance or choice. Laura is also a leader in the Tiny Home movement. She’s written an inspirational book on living in 120 Sq Ft, and presented on Tiny Homes at conferences across the US.

2015 Childfree Man of the Year: Mario Amaro

Mario Amaro (US) has dedicated his life to defending the US, has been in the Navy for ten years, and is hoping to become an officer before he retires. He is dedicated to bettering the lives that surround him. Mario has won many awards through the Navy and leads many volunteer groups focused on improving navy personals’ lives. He strives to set a good example to others when it comes to doing the job right. When he is not helping out other people, he is focusing on loving his foster pets and volunteering at the local animal shelter.

2014 Childfree Woman of the Year: Magenta Baribeau

Magenta Baribeau (Canada), and is a documentary filmmaker. She has produced the documentary, Maman? Non merci! (roughly translated as Being a mom? No thanks! ) about Western women who are childfree by choice. In her documentary she includes stories of childfree women from Canada, France and Belgium. She wants people who are critical of this choice and who don’t understand the childfree lifestyle to see it as another valuable and productive way to live. Magenta’s  blog, maman non merci, is about the reality of Western childfree women.

2014 Childfree Man of the Year: Dann Alexander

Dann Alexander (Canada) is a freelance writer. His book, Planned Unparenthood: Creating a Life Without Procreating, broke significant ground in the childfree community as the first book about being childfree from a male perspective. He has blogged and written on childfree topics and issues, and will continue to as part of his commitment to reaching a wider global audience on the childfree lifestyle.

In 2014, the Selection Panel voted to give a Lifetime Childfree Contribution Award to a very special member of the childfree community: Marcia-Drut-Davis (US). She is a pioneer of the childfree lifestyle. In 1974, she lost the job she loved (teaching children), lost friends, and was persecuted after being interviewed on 60 Minutes about the choice to have no children. She even faced death threats and picket lines when she spoke on this topic. Her memoir, Confessions of a Childfree Woman: A Life Spent Swimming Against Mainstream, details her struggles to help younger women and men understand and make this life choice if it is right for them. Marcia has contributed much to the acceptance of the childfree choice in society today.

2013 Childfree Woman of the Year: Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon  

Jennifer Thorpe-Moscon (US), as her nominator wrote, “embodies the best of the childfree  – she’s independent, passionate, loyal to her loved ones, and freedom-loving.” She’s used that freedom to do great things. Jennifer received her PhD from NYU in social psychology and wrote the book, How Geek Girls Will Rule the World, which is designed to inspire women to not be held back by patriarchal notions of what women should do with their lives and follow “their geeky dreams, whether it be computer programming or writing hard science fiction.”

2013 Childfree  Man of the Year: Théophile de Giraud

Théophile de Giraud (Belgium) is a writer, and has no children by choice for “personal, ecological and philosophical reasons. ” He has done much to expose, educate and contribute to the acceptance of the childfree choice. Theo has has organized bold events to educate people on childfree, pronatalist and population related issues. In 2012, one such event was on the streets of Paris, and sparked discussion and debate with the public. Theo has also put on events to bring together and celebrate the childfree, including “Non-Parents Feasts.”