Malala Yousafzai to be awarded this year's Liberty Medal in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, July 1 (UPI) -- Malala Yousafzai, the teenage education advocate who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, will receive this year's Liberty Medal.

The National Constitution Center announced that the awards ceremony will be Tuesday, Oct. 21, in Philadelphia.

"It's an honor to be awarded the Liberty Medal," Yousafzai, 17, said. "I accept this award on behalf of all the children around the world who are struggling to get an education."

Yousafzai is the fourth woman and the youngest person to be honored with the medal, which has been awarded since 1989 for leadership in pursuit of freedom. The first was given to Lech Walesa, who helped liberate Poland, and the most recent to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

At the age of 11, Yousafzai began writing for the BBC under an assumed name, Gul Makai. She became internationally known after she was shot in the head during an attempt by the Taliban to kill her in Pakistan.

"Malala's courageous fight for equality and liberty from tyranny is evidence that a passionate, committed leader, regardless of age, has the power to ignite a movement for reform," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the National Constitution Center's chairman.