This year, the National Church Awards are highlighting the impact of the people behind the UK’s church buildings. We are really proud to honour churches and the people who care for them through a range of award schemes.
Whether that is keeping a church, chapel or meeting house well maintained, opening it up for visitors or running a community project from the building, we want to hear about the amazing ways the teams at your church are making a difference. We want to partner with you to help celebrate their brilliant efforts in keeping churches open and serving local people.
The awards this year have been inspired by the work and legacy of Lord Patrick Cormack, a champion of church buildings, who dedicated his life to helping to keep the UK’s churches open and in use – and who worked with many different organisations to make this happen.
We’ve pulled together handy advice and answers to frequently asked questions about the National Church Awards into one place, which you can find here. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please contact our team at hello@nationalchurchestrust.org
Click on the boxes to find out more and to enter.
These awards celebrate the great care taken of churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. They honour the dedication and time spent maintaining the buildings, keeping them safe and able to serve local people for generations to come.
These awards centre around the brilliant contribution that volunteers make to both caring for and making best use of churches, and especially using churches to reach out to local communities and using the building as a hub for activity.
In every corner of the UK, we love seeing how churches, chapels and meeting houses are providing a wonderful welcome to visitors and how they’re sharing their building with others.
This special award recognises a person or team’s lifetime dedication to a particular church, chapel or meeting house or to places of worship in general. It celebrates the achievement dedicating time, care and love for more than 25 years towards this cause.
This award is chosen by the Friends – supporters – of the National Churches Trust. The winning church receives a £10,000 additional grant to help complete an urgent repair or facilities project.
Our Church of the Year award is the pinnacle award that celebrates a church that fulfils its potential and makes a mark on its community and beyond. It's a shining example of a sustainable church – one that is relevant, looked after, in use and open for all.
Lord Patrick Cormack (1939-2024) was one of the UK’s longest serving parliamentarians, with a combined total of 54 years in the Palace of Westminster. Through his time in the Houses of Commons and Lords he campaigned and spoke up about the importance and value of churches.
Lord Cormack was closely involved with many organisations including:
Read more about some of the amazing ways Lord Cormack championed churches
We work closely with partners, funders and sponsors across the sector. They bring their specialist skills and experience to planning and promoting the awards and the expert judging panels often agonise over very tightly fought shortlists.
The Marsh Church and Community Hero Awards celebrate volunteers who have had great ideas about using their church building, have contributed significantly to its sustainability, or who help their community using their building.
The church architecture awards are run by the National Churches Trust and the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association. They honour excellence and creativity in church architecture.
Lincoln Cathedral stands as a beacon over the city of Lincoln. As a holy place, it is home to a daily rhythm of prayer and worship for the people of the city and region. It welcomes visitors and pilgrims to experience the special quality that has drawn people over the centuries, and hosts a series of events.
MikeSwift
