Category Description
This award recognises pioneering practical examples of actions to restore nature and natural systems anywhere in the world – and to do so in a way which brings benefits to local people and the wider community, too.
It covers everything from rewilding and nature recovery projects, including species reintroduction and habitat creation and restoration, through to regenerative agriculture.
Depending on the scope of entries deserving an award, judges may decide to make two awards, one focusing principally on rewilding / nature restoration, and the other on regenerative agriculture.
Winning projects will be those which exemplify success in boosting biodiversity, sequestering carbon dioxide and improving natural systems resilience, while also securing the support of local communities and stakeholders, and providing tangible benefits such as flood mitigation, job creation and other economic benefits, as well as amenity value.
Time Frame: Due to the nature of this category, activities may have been implemented at any time, but the judges will predominantly focus on progress and reported impact during the last four years and ongoing.
We request a total word count of 1500 words +/-10% (excl. supporting docs). Any confidential data will be treated as such and only shared with the judging panel.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points within the supplied application form (weighting percentages in brackets):
- Design and innovation: how the project(s) has been designed to conform with sound ecological principles; the degree of fresh thinking and innovation involved, which can move the principle of nature recovery forward (15%)
- Ecological impacts: evidence of specific, measurable improvements across a range of types and metrics (eg, plant and animal species recovery; soil restoration; flood mitigation; carbon sequestration, etc) (35%)
- Social and economic benefits: positive impacts on local communities and wider society, including job creation / work opportunities; other income generation; landscape and amenity value; degree of local support for the scheme (30%)
- Replicability and scalability: evidence that the project(s) can be an exemplar for wider nature recovery schemes; degree to which it offers helpful lessons for others to learn from; provision of educational opportunities for students and general public (20%)
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria listed above are used by judges to evaluate entries. However, you will complete a separate application form with specific questions.
When writing your entry, follow the application form questions while ensuring you address all the criteria listed above. This allows judges to assess all entries consistently.
Accessing the questions: Register or log in to AwardStage (opens 2 February), select your category, and download the PDF of questions. Application questions vary by category and will be available four weeks before entries open. To receive them in advance, please email us.
Are we eligible to enter?
Our awards programme is open to all organisations of any kind… companies large and small, charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, NGOs, membership and accreditation organisations and government departments including local and county councils. We are all about rewarding sustainability practice – in all its forms. So if your organisation is making a difference, directly or indirectly to people and planet, you’re eligible.
We don’t just recognise businesses that are operating responsibly, or supporting / partnering with worthwhile causes. We also actively encourage entries from organisations that have been specifically set up or adapted to offer a product or service that tackles a social or environmental problem.
Our category descriptions and criteria have been written to guide entrants on what content should be detailed in their entries. However, we do not expect square pegs to fit in round holes… Some of your business activities or dedicated programmes might not fit entirely with any one specific category. In these cases, the descriptions and criteria are open to an element of interpretation and rest assured that our judges will still take into account entries that are strongly aligned with the overall context of the category.
If you have any concerns about the suitability of your entry, or would like to discuss your activities in more detail, we are here to help. Give Karen a call on 07813 718541 or email us.