Every May we celebrate the anniversary of "Gazeta". The main event is a staff and family dance. The 10th anniversary celebration in May 1999 was especially festive; in that year we initiated the annual "Gazeta Wyborcza Man of the Year Award". The recipients include Vaclav Havel (1999), George Soros (2000), Siergiej Kovaliov (2001), Joschka Fischer (2002), Güenter Verheugen (2003) Bronislaw Geremek (2004), Javier Solana (2005) Zbigniew Brzezinski (2006), Archbishop Jozef Zycinski (2007), Andrzej Wajda (2008), Wojciech Mazowiecki (2009) and Wladyslaw Bartoszewski (2010).
In the words of Adam Michnik, one of the creators of the award, "Gazeta" wishes to note and honour individuals who contribute to the development of democracy by promoting tolerance, acting in the interest of open societies and supporting the battle for human rights. In big, the award represents the values and actions consistent with "Gazeta's".
The "Man of the Year Award" were accompanied by "Gazeta" discussion panels on important historical and contemporary processes. "Gazeta's" discussion fora hosted famous journalists, politicians and economists from all over the world.
