Glamour Magazine has selected this year’s ten winners of the annual Women of the Year Awards, which have been handed out for almost two decades to women who have played noteworthy roles in several domains, including entertainment, business, sports, politics, fashion and science.

A Yemeni child bride, who drew international attention after refusing to follow tradition and stay next to a man more than 20 years her senior, received on Monday one of the “Woman of the Year” awards along with nine other major public figures.

Nujood Ali, who is only 10, was one of the jury’s picks for the prize as a result of her much-talked about story of revolt with regard to the arranged marriage set up by her family. As the dramatic incident was discussed in several magazines and was aired on shows by various television networks, people everywhere found out about her misfortune and, thus, she became a very appreciated celebrity.

Her story is similar to those of most Muslim girls. Nujood Ali was drawn out from her school in Yemen capital, Sanaa, by her father, who was facing a harsh financial situation, and was forced to tie the knot with a man in his 30s. Not only did her husband sexually assault her, but he also beat the girl and physically abused her.

In spite of the fact that Yemeni law stipulates that the minimum age of marriage is 15, Islam tribal traditions and customs regularly ignore this aspect and girls are obliged to get married much earlier in exchange of major payments.

Nevertheless, Nujood Ali proved an outstanding sense of bravery and sought legal measures with the help of a human rights attorney. Therefore, she managed to file for divorce in April and challenge the so-called marriage.

A statement regarding the 10-year-old’s award, honored at a New York ceremony, explained that human rights lawyer Shada Nasser and the Yemeni child bride would make great efforts in order to protect other young girls from premature marriage.

Other well-known women who received the annual award included television celebrity Tyra Banks, for her charity that encourages young women, Hillary Clinton, for having a significant influence on generations of women, as well as Chanel Chief Executive Maureen Chiquet, for her groundbreaking contribution to international business.

In addition, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, Condoleezza Rice, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh and Kara Walker were also among the recipients of the award.

The winners, who were selected by an advisory board comprising past honorees, will appear in the December issue of Glamour Magazine, due to hit the newsstands on Tuesday.