Awards and Competitions Page - last updated 15 July
The Marsh Awards for Heritage Craft 2011 - added 15.07.2011
The Heritage Crafts Association and the Marsh Christian Trust are delighted to offer two brand new awards for the heritage crafts sector. These awards will recognise and celebrate the exceptional individuals that contribute so much to our rich living heritage. The awards have been created to encourage the passing on of skills from one generation to another and to acknowledge the great work that volunteers do to raise the profile of heritage crafts across the UK.
This year, there are two awards and the winner of each award will receive £500. The deadline for both is 31 October 2011. The award winners will be publicly announced and presented with a cheque and certificate at the Heritage Crafts Association Spring Conference, March 2012.
I. Trainer - £500
One of the Heritage Crafts Association’s key aims is to ensure that heritage crafts skills of the highest standard are passed from one generation to the next. The enthusiasm, knowledge and experience of key individuals can really influence the number and quality of skilled craftsmen in the UK. Broadly classified as ‘trainer’, the award winner could be anything from a teacher, tutor, workshop leader, master or simply a craftsperson who offers one-to-one advice. The trainer might give anything from taster sessions for beginners to masterclasses for professionals. Trainers may nominate themselves, or be nominated by a trainee or a craft organisation.
II. Volunteer - £500
In heritage crafts, there are many people who do a tremendous amount on a voluntary basis. Whether independently, or as part of a craft organisation, these volunteers put in huge amounts of time and effort, sometimes over many years to make a real difference to their craft. Their role is often unsung. The award winner could have volunteered their time on anything from event organising to administration to running craft websites to initiating new projects in the heritage crafts sector. This award is a chance to recognise such unsung heroes. Nominations for the award can come from craft organisations, or individuals who have benefitted from the volunteer’s work.
For information on how to apply, visit www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/marshawards.html.
The Shell Springboard Awards - added 15.07.2011
The Shell Springboard Awards launched in 2005 and have since attracted over 900 applications from small business owners with ideas to combat climate change, allocating more than £2 million to over 50 businesses.
The programme provides a financial boost to innovative, low carbon business initiatives from across the UK. The objective is to encourage businesses to see climate change responsibilities as more than compliance and cost. Shell believes there is a marked business opportunity if society is to move from a carbon-constrained world.
Up to eight awards of between £20,000 and £40,000 are available through the programme in each of the three UK regions, with the best two regional entries being forwarded for the overall UK award. The total number of awards made will be determined by the number and quality of entries - there is no minimum number of awards that will be given.
Applications are accepted from sole traders, partnerships, limited companies or community interest companies (including government or university spin-outs) that operate in the UK. Businesses must have been established for a minimum of three months and have less than 250 employees.
All applications must be made via a form on the Shell Springboard website at www.shellspringboard.org
The awards will be presented at ceremonies in Edinburgh, Manchester and London in February 2012.
Applications open on Wednesday 13 July 2011. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 4 November 2011 at 5pm.
Voluntary Arts launches Epic Awards 2011 - added 08.07.2011
Voluntary Arts presents the UK- and Ireland-wide Epic Awards 2011, designed to shine a spotlight on the excellent work taking place within more than 70,000 voluntary and amateur art and craft groups around the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The Awards give groups an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of their work as well as the chance to win a package of prizes including training, equipment and publicity, as well as attending a prestigious winners’ reception in early 2012.
Previous winners included Cobweb Orchestra who performed a flash-mob Bolero, Apsara Arts with their Story of London project and fashion show, UC Crew who used breakdance to educate people about the dangers of smoking, and Milton Keynes Islamic Arts Heritage and Culture Organisation who teamed up with Milton Keynes College to explore Islamic art. This year we’re looking for even more talent from very part of the UK and Ireland.
The awards are open for entries now at www.epicawards.co.uk.
HSBC - Business Thinking - added 07.06.2011
Business Thinking 2011 combines funding opportunities with a celebration of the fact that the UK has some of the world's best business thinkers. The deadline for entries is now imminent.
HSBC is offering extra lending over and above its normal threshold to reward the best UK business thinking. Two finalists from each of the nine UK regions will receive up to £6 million lending plus a financial reward of up to £120,000 each. One of those 18 finalists will be named overall Business Thinking 2011 winner at an event in front of an international audience, and receive a further financial reward of up to £120,000.
The Competition is open to businesses (sole traders, partnerships and companies) based in the UK (including Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands) or UK-based subsidiaries.
Applications must be submitted by 10 June 2011. More information is available at www.businessthinking.hsbc.co.uk
National Lottery Awards 2011 - Semi-final Round of Public Voting Commenced - added 07.06.2011
The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects. The awards recognise the difference these projects have made to people, places and communities across the UK and celebrate the talent, hard work and dedication of those involved in their running.
Public voting for the semi-final round of the 2011 awards is now underway. Reflecting the different types of projects that benefit from Lottery funding, awards are made under the following categories:
• Best Arts Project.
• Best Education Project.
• Best Environment Project.
• Best Health Project.
• Best Heritage Project.
• Best Sports Project.
• Best Voluntary/Charity Project.
Winners will receive a cash prize of £2,000 and will be determined by a public vote featured in a special BBC1 television show in the autumn. In addition, projects reaching the shortlist stage will be showcased in local and national media, enabling them to share their success with people across the UK.
The awards are open to anyone, individually or as part of a group, who has successfully been awarded and used Lottery funding for any type and size of project which has benefited UK residents. Votes can be cast online, via the National Lottery Good Causes website at: http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards.
Voting for the semi-final closes at midday on 20 June 2011. The three projects in each category with the most votes will progress to the final round of public voting, which will run from 5-23 September 2011.
Guardian Charity Awards - 2011 Round Open to Applications - added 07.06.2011
The annual Guardian Charity Awards seek to recognise and encourage small and medium-sized charities that are improving social wellbeing in its broadest sense by delivering practical solutions to present-day problems.
Eligible charities must have been registered in the United Kingdom for more than two years and have an annual income of between £5,000 and £1.5 million.
Winners each receive £6,000, one year free NCVO membership and a tailored package of support from the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI) that includes mentoring, expert advice and training, and a media package from the Media Trust. The deadline for applications is 15 July 2011 (midnight). More information can be found at www.guardian.co.uk/charity-awards
The SMK Campaigner Awards 2011 - added 07.06.2011
The SMK Campaigner Awards are designed for campaigners just starting out in campaigning or who need extra support in developing their campaign skills. This year there are 9 award categories. The awards provide a comprehensive support package including bespoke campaign coaching. The deadline for nominations is 20 June 2011. Full information can be found at www.smk.org.uk/smk-awards-2011
Shell LiveWIRE Awards
Young entrepreneurs in the UK are being encouraged to enter the this year's Shell LiveWIRE Awards, where they could win up to £11,000 for their business venture, as well and gaining national recognition.
In 2011, the monthly rounds of the Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards have been integrated into the annual round of the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Those who are aged between 16 and 30, in their first year of trading, may apply online for one of up to six monthly £1,000 Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Awards. The overall Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner will receive the £10,000 prize.
Unlike previous years, there is no separate entry process for the 2011 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Entrepreneurs must win a Grand Ideas Award to be considered for this year's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The top three Grand Ideas Award winners each month (as per the judges' scores) will automatically be put through to the 'Hot 40' shortlist for the annual awards final, taking place in November. For more information please visit the website at www.shell-livewire.org
Tilley Awards 2011
Applications are now invited from any crime reduction or community safety agency in England and Wales and UK Police Forces in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Special Police Forces for the 2011 Tilley Awards.
The Awards celebrate local initiatives which can demonstrate the following three things:
• The use of a problem-solving model.
• Partnership working.
• Measurable impact on crime reduction or community safety issues.
This year's competition sees the introduction of themes and the abolition of the regional winners being selected as national finalists. The competition will be delivered in two phases. Each phase contains a number of themes within which projects that have tackled specific crime types are invited to apply.
Winners will receive cash prizes of between £300 and £2,000, glass project trophies, certificates, expenses paid tickets to the national conference and a short film of their project. The 2011 phase one deadline for receipt of applications is 13 June 2011. More details can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk
Big Venture Challenge - Launch of New Competition
The Big Venture Challenge is a new competition to find the 25 most ambitious social entrepreneurs in England. The competition is being operated by UnLtd, with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and the Millennium Awards Trust. It is designed to help the most ambitious social entrepreneurs successfully scale up their ventures.
Winners of the Big Venture Challenge will receive an initial £25,000 and the chance to access up to £150,000 of seed investment if matched by loans or equity from co-investors. Winners will also receive access to three years of one-to-one business support and mentoring and networking opportunities, designed to keep pace with high growth social entrepreneurs.
Eligible applicants are those who are:
• aged 16+ on the date of application;
• the founders of the venture; and
• based in England.
Interested parties may register their interest now to receive an application form by email. The competition opens to applications on 9 May 2011. Winners will be announced on 20 September 2011. The deadline for receipt of applications is 30 June 2011. For further information please visit http://www.bigventurechallenge.com/
2011 Chamber Awards - Now Open to Applications
The 2011 Chamber Awards, which celebrate the success and achievements of businesses around the UK, are now open for entries.
Awards are available in the following categories:
• Business of the Year.
• Finding New International Markets - (new for 2011).
• Award for Innovation Through Technology.
• Most Promising New Business.
• Entrepreneur of the Year.
• Achievement in International Business.
• Award for Excellence in People Development.
• The Green Award.
• Excellence in Customer Service.
Entry is exclusive to UK-accredited Chamber of Commerce members and winners may be requested to participate in post-event publicity. The overall winner will receive £50,000, and previous winners have experienced year-round exposure from the awards programme, including appearances on television. The closing date for receipt of applications is 24 June 2011. More information is available from www.chamberawards.co.uk
BUPA Foundation Awards - Launch of 2011 Round
The Bupa Foundation Awards for 2011 is offering prizes of £15,000 for each of the Awards within the following categories:
1. Healthy lives prize
Enabling sustained behaviour changes on physical activity and/or nutrition amongst children, families or in the workplace.
2. Patients as partners prize
Utilising or developing shared-decision making tools for better patient decisions for use amongst disadvantaged or diverse groups.
3. Vitality for life prize
Promoting and encouraging healthy ageing through physical activity and other behaviour-based and social solutions for the older age group (65+ years).
4. Technology for healthy outcomes prize
Using new technologies to cheaply and effectively organise and interpret health outcomes data - for better design of community health activities and to improve patient decision making.
Individuals or teams in UK health, academic or research organisations are eligible to apply. The prize is divided into two parts: £5,000 which is paid direct to the individual or team members, and £10,000 to be used to further the award winner's project. Submissions should provide a clear outline showing how the Award money will be used to further the work for which an Award has been made. More information can be found at www.bupafoundation.com The deadline for the receipt of entries 1 July 2011. The Awards Dinner will take place in November.
