UK and Ireland's Most Beautiful Vegan Over 50 Competition 2020 – Vote Now

The entries are in – now it's time to vote to help PETA select the winner! Our valiant vegan finalists are living proof that nothing is more beautiful than compassion, but who deserves to walk away with this year's title?

Public voting to help us decide whom to choose as the winner will end at 5 pm UK time on 7 September.

The winner will receive an award-winning eight-course vegan tasting menu for two at top London restaurant Gauthier Soho. See the full contest details here.

Finalists

Carole

A passionate animal rights activist from Northern Ireland, Carole has been vegan for eight years and advocates for animals at every opportunity. When she's not taking to the streets to call for animal liberation, you can find her enjoying a true crime programme at home with her dog and cat, whom she loves "more than life itself".

Sandra

Sandra is a published writer, a therapist, and a master at reimagining traditional recipes into vegan dishes. She has had a love of animals since childhood and realised she can't both love and eat them when talking to a student who inspired her vegan journey. Since then, she's encouraged others with her compassionate lifestyle – including her now-vegan husband.

Karl

A self-proclaimed foodie with a heart for animals, Karl is a vegan activist in both his professional and personal life. He is the family chef and started dabbling in cooking meat-free dishes after his daughter became vegetarian. This prompted him to take a closer look at the meat, fish, dairy, and egg industries, which motivated him not only to go vegan but also to become an activist in every aspect of his life. He is now working on a vegan cookbook and mentors new vegans.

Lorri

Along with building the VEGAN Happy clothing brand – which donates all profits to animals in need – passionate vegan Lorri helps friends and family on their vegan journeys and speaks to local meat and dairy farmers about making the transition to growing crops instead. She's also a self-proclaimed Marmite addict who dreams of owning an animal sanctuary someday.

David

Singer-songwriter David has spoken at schools and universities about animal rights, has attended animal rights marches, and is the membership secretary of Greens for Animal Protection. His dedication to animal advocacy prompted him to write a song called "Red Red World" and produce a music video to raise awareness of the horrors of factory farming.

Marzena

After showing her colleagues the reality of the dairy industry, Marzena campaigned for her workplace to switch to vegan milks – and it worked! Her big heart for animals means she cares for them all, including a spider-turned-flatmate who settled in her kitchen for a year. Her garden also offers a safe haven for hedgehogs, squirrels, pigeons, and other animals.

Julie

After going vegan and feeling like a "female Benjamin Button", Julie studied to become a nutritionist so she could help others feel as great as she does. She now runs a nutrition practice which specialises in vegan eating and is also an NHS primary care commissioning officer. She regularly speaks at vegan fairs and even organised the very first one in her home town.

Charles

Former pig-factory worker Charles' life changed when, 40 years ago, he picked up Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and went vegan. He has mounted a one-person protest outside a restaurant in London serving live sea animals, speaks about animal rights at every opportunity, and inspires those around him to think twice about eating meat, fish, eggs, or dairy.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth went vegan 40 years ago after she recognised that caring for animals means not eating them. When she's not at her day job as a nurse, she does volunteer work with animals, signs every petition she can to help them, spends time with her two dogs, and writes to government bodies about animal rights

Desmond

Desmond has been vegan for four years and feels strongly about stopping the slaughter of animals for food. Now in his mid-50s, he prides himself on staying fit and exercising while being powered by plants. He uses his love for fitness to talk to others about being healthy and vegan and takes to social media to raise awareness of animals' suffering.

Susan

Susan began her vegan journey 12 years ago, when, during a battle with breast cancer, she was advised to stop consuming dairy by an alternative therapist. She found it easy and felt much healthier for it. This led her to do more research into animal agriculture, which made her go meat-free, too. Since beating cancer, she has spoken up for animals at every opportunity, lives her compassionate life to the fullest, and feels as free as a bird!

The voting is now closed. The winner will be notified and featured on PETA.org.uk by 11 September.