The National Lottery Awards are an annual celebration of the inspirational individuals and groups who do extraordinary things in their communities with the help of National Lottery funding.
More than 1,500 inspirational people and projects were nominated for last year’s National Lottery Awards, and now the search is on once again for 2022’s nominees.
Winners in each category will win a £5,000 cash prize for their organisation and a coveted National Lottery trophy.
Anyone who has received National Lottery funding is eligible for nomination.
Wales shone at last year’s awards, scooping three accolades in total. Katherine Hughes, a volunteer and the Secretary of Caerphilly Miners’ Centre for the Community (The Miners), was crowned as the UK winner in the Community and Charity category for her unwavering voluntary efforts over the years and as one of the driving forces behind saving the historic local landmark for future generations. Wales’ gold medal Olympic boxing champion, Lauren Price, was crowned Olympian of the Year following her exploits in Tokyo, and the Green Valley Conservation and Heritage project in Abercynon, which uses gardening and nature as a way of improving people’s employability skills and wellbeing, was named as the 2021 National Lottery Wales Project of the Year.
Louise Minchin said: “It’s a great privilege to be supporting this year’s National Lottery Awards and encouraging people to nominate with only days left.
“We’ve been through some trying times in the last couple of years, but that hasn’t stopped people across the country from responding with incredible acts of kindness.
“The National Lottery Awards are an incredible opportunity to take a step back and show our appreciation for these unsung heroes who do incredible things with the help of National Lottery funding.
“They deserve our recognition – but we can only celebrate them if you put them forward for an award, so please get nominating!”
The National Lottery Awards will seek to celebrate outstanding individuals in the following categories:
• Community/Charity
• Art, Culture & Film
• Sport
• Heritage
• Environment
• Young Hero (Under 25s)
The Environment category, a new addition for 2022, will look to celebrate an individual who has gone above and beyond to keep their community on the green path.
Winners of these categories will be chosen by a judging panel made up of members of the National Lottery family and partners.
In addition, any projects that have benefitted from National Lottery funding are also eligible to enter the Project of the Year category.
The nominees will be whittled down to 16 finalists, with a UK-wide public vote in September deciding the winner.
To make your nomination for this year’s National Lottery Awards, tweet @LottoGoodCauses with your suggestions or complete an entry form through our website www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. Entries must be received by midnight on 1st June 2022. Follow the campaign on Twitter: @LottoGoodCauses #NLAwards
