We're really excited about our awards this year and hope that you will be inspired to enter your church, project, architect or volunteer to win one of the prizes.
This is the first year that we have brought all our awards together into one event, it's also the first year we have opened them up for any church, chapel or meeting house across the UK to be nominated.
This year our judges will also be finding the UK's Church of the Year, a very special award.
We will be celebrating the winners at a glorious high tea, held at the Mercers' Company Livery Hall in October 2022.
You can find details of all the awards below. Please ensure you read the specific requirements and guidelines for the award(s) you are interested in; be especially aware of closing dates, as these differ for each award.
If you want to enter more than one award, you will need to do so seperately for each award you enter. Some of the questions are similar across the different awards. We recommend that you download the guidelines / questions first and prepare your information before you make your entry. That means that you will have the information you need readily to hand.
You can find each of the award categories below. You will be able to amend your submission right up to the closing date.
These awards are open to churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. We know there is a great deal of amazing work happening at Cathedrals, which is often nominated for and wins other national awards. For this reason our awards are not open to cathedrals.
It's really important to us and our partners that it is easy for you to submit a nomination for our awards. We are using an online platform called Zealous to make the process straightforward so as many churches, architects and volunteers as possible can take part. If you have problems making an online entry, you can see help articles on their website here
Our award nominations are closed for this year. We hope you're already thinking about nominating your church in 2023.
The church architecture awards are run in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA). They honour excellence and creativity in church architecture.
Click on the awards below to submit a nomination. You can download guidelines and questions for each scheme using the button showing the closing date to the right.
For innovative, high quality church conservation or repair work. The architects responsible for the winning project will receive the prestigious King of Prussia Gold Medal. The winning church or chapel receives a £500 prize.
The Presidents' Award celebrates the best new church building, including re-ordering, extensions or alterations to existing church buildings. The award is given to the designer and the unique Chalice and Paten are loaned to the winning church. The church or chapel also receives a £500 prize.
For an architect or surveyor responsible for a scheme for either the King of Prussia Gold Medal or the Presidents' Award. Make your nomination on the form for either of these awards. The winner receives a stained glass roundel, and a cash prize.
The Nayler Awards for Excellence in Church Maintenance are run in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust
They shine a light on the people who look after local churches and are a brilliant way to tell us how you care for your building. Maintenance is traditionally seen as a dry subject and an activity that has not been actively celebrated or rewarded. But each year many volunteers help to keep church buildings in good condition. We know that helping with maintenance is always rewarding and is also often fun. So, if your church is well cared for, why not nominate your team!
You will need to upload your maintenance plan and tell us how you encourage people to get involved.
This is the first year that these awards are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. We are looking for a winner from each of the four nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Each country winner will receive £2500, and the overall winner will receive an additional £2500.
You can download guidelines and questions here.
We recommend that you read these carefully and prepare everything in advance.
Click the button below to submit a nomination.
Closing date : 1 August 2022
Get inspiration from last year's winner : St Matthew, Surbiton
The Church and Community Volunteer Awards are run in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust
These awards celebrate the vital contribution which volunteers make to both looking after and making the best use of churches to benefit local communities and people. We especially want to have nominations from churches which are using their buildings as community hubs in creative and imaginative ways. Most recently this was evident as churches rose to the challenge of Covid19, but it could be any volunteer led activity or range of activities happening at your church.
Churches are so much more than places of worship, as shown in our House of Good Report
This is the first year that these awards are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. We are looking for a winner from each of the four nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Each country winner will receive £750, and the overall winner will receive an additional £750.
You can download guidelines and questions here.
We recommend that you read these carefully and prepare everything in advance.
Click the button below to submit a nomination.
Closing date : 1 August 2022
Get inspiration from winners in 2019 : local treasures awards
We believe that churches should be open and welcoming for visitors to explore. Every church can give a warm welcome and has a story to tell. Millions of people visit churches every year; whether popping in on a day trip or as part of a walk, attending a wedding, or as a church crawler or heritage explorer.
Your church, chapel or meeting house is unique. It was built to be at the heart of the community and used by local people and visitors from further afield. For this new award we want to hear about how you welcome visitors and tell your story to people who do not usually use your church, and what positive impact being open and welcoming has on your church.
This is the first year for these awards and they are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. We are looking for a winner from each of the four nations; England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
You can download guidelines and questions here.
We recommend that you read these carefully and prepare everything in advance.
Click the button below to submit a nomination.
Closing date : 1 August 2022
This is a new award, get inspiration from our explore churches section or our tourism projects
Through their support and generous donations, our growing number of Friends help us carry out our work of supporting churches in so many ways. Our Friends Award gives them the opportunity to help us select a church we have recently funded to receive an additional grant of £10,000.
To vote in this competition you must be a Friend of the National Churches Trust. If you are already a Friend, you will receive information about voting in July.
Together with our partners we will judge all the awards between August and September. At a final panel, judges from all the partners will choose one of the winning churches to be our Church of the Year, to be announced at the National Church Awards on 24 October 2022.
MikeSwift
Luke March (Chair of the National Churches Trust) : Alexa Stephens (Young Architect of the Year in 2019) : HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO FRIBA
AWARDSAllLogos2022
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