Category Description
These potentially multiple winner awards sit under one umbrella of ‘community partnerships’ which, at the judges’ discretion, will be split into sub-categories covering different subjects, and/or organisation size/type depending on the range and quantity of projects. It will be at the discretion of the judges to decide upon the final sub-categories.
The awards are open to any organisation with a community partnerships programme or funding scheme, run independently or in partnership with one or more partners and can be based on any theme including: social, health/well-being, education and sustainability. (You may also wish to consider Best Education or Environmental Behaviour Change) Projects can be focused on the UK or overseas, with a significant impact being made between 2021-23.
Winning entries will demonstrate how the scheme influenced the community, how many people it engaged, and what the lasting benefits (social, environmental, economic, etc) are for the local community.
In judging this award, the panel will be looking for quantified details of projects, outcomes, achievements and effectiveness; evidence of the degree of innovation in scoping and developing the initiative as well as the use of awareness raising measures to promote and deliver it; and measurement of its overall impact.
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):
- How the project set new standards for innovation and creativity; (15%)
- Awareness raising of the project to promote the scheme across the targeted community; (20%)
- The measurement of overall impact on community in real terms: how it positively influenced change in the community resulting in quantifiable impact on individuals; (40%)
- The scheme’s legacy and scalability to ensure ongoing and lasting community benefits once the project is complete; (25%)
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria above are different to the questions in the application form. You will need to follow the application questions; cross-referencing these with the criteria to ensure you’ve captured them within your application. The criteria are followed by the judges in order to compare all entries in each category like-for-like, Please ensure you register / login to AwardStage (Opens 1st Feb), select the category and export a PDF copy of the questions. Some category application questions differ. The application questions will be available four weeks before entries open, so if you wish to get them ahead of time 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.