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Awards

We are thrilled to share the winners of the National Church Awards 2023

Over 200 churches were nominated this year for the National Church Awards from across the UK, from which a judging panel selected the 45 finalists. From eco-churches to community cafés, running tower tours to hosting festivals and concerts, the finalists made an impressive and diverse list. There have been churches, chapels and meeting houses of all different sizes, styles and traditions, all showing that they do amazing things.

Congratulations to all our winners, as well as everyone who strives to help their local church to be the star of their community.

If you'd like to watch the livestream recording from the event held on 6 November, it's still available on our YouTube channel. The link can be found on the winners page. You can read and download the programme from the event. 

National Church Awards Winners 2023


This year, for the first time we organised a Visit Your Finalist Day

“There’s something about churches that makes me want to go inside and explore what’s going on.” 
Hugh Dennis, comedian, actor and co-host of the National Church Awards. 

On Saturday 18 November, many of our winners and finalists from the National Church Awards were open! We created a handy map, so you can see which churches near you were finalists.

Visit Your Finalist day and map


Previous awards

In 2022 we brought all our awards together for the first time. Winners were treated to a sparkling afternoon tea at Mercers Hall in the City of London.

In previous years we have run the various awards separately, sometimes bringing some together for an awards ceremony. Most recently we have presented awards at virtual ceremonies broadcast online. Scroll through some photos of our winners in a gallery. Click on the image to find out which award they won, and what made them stand out from the crowd.

See previous awards, winners and ceremonies here

Our partners

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. As a result, our awards are sought after.

Pilgrim Trust

The Pilgrim Trust sponsor and support the Nayler Awards for Excellence in Church Maintenance. The awards celebrate the magnificent effort of thousands of volunteers who look after church buildings across the UK.

Marsh Charitable Trust

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.

Mercers’ Company

The Mercers’ Company is a long term partner of National Churches Trust, having awarded funding for refurbishment grants from Mercers’ Charitable Foundation and the Charity of Sir Richard Whittington to increase the community use of churches. The Company goes beyond funding for its partners and so is providing the Mercers’ Hall and refreshments for the 2022 awards event.

AWARDSAllLogos2022

AWARDSAllLogos2022