The Charity Awards, the longest-running awards ceremony in the sector, has opened for applications in its 21st year. 

Organised by Civil Society Media, the Charity Awards identifies charities which have original and effective ideas that the rest of the sector can learn from, and is open to any type of project or initiative from charities in the UK. 

Ten individual awards are given for charities working in different sectors before an overall winner is selected by the judges. On the night one individual is celebrated for their contribution to the charity sector. 

The Awards provide a perfect opportunity for you to propel your charity’s work into the spotlight, to influence policymakers and funders, and to showcase the quality of your interventions. 

Entries will be judged by a panel of sector experts against the six Hallmarks of Excellence. 

Su Sayer, chair of the judges, has encouraged charities to enter as a way for the sector to share lessons they have learned.

She said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share some of the amazing work that is happening in both large and small charities. We can all learn from each other and hopefully that will mean we can make an even bigger difference to civil society.” 

Rathbone Investment Management will be the overall awards partner for the third year and the Charities Aid Foundation is a supporter. 
 
Andrew Pitt, head of charities at Rathbone Investment Management, said: “It’s a privilege for Rathbones to sponsor the Charity Awards for a third consecutive year and celebrate the excellent work carried out by the voluntary sector.

“The Awards recognise those charities that are innovative, exemplify best practice and deliver sustainable benefit to communities and society in general. We’re proud to align our values to those celebrated at the Charity Awards both as a firm and as part of our work with charities. 

“We’re looking forward to participating in the judging process and learning more about the remarkable achievements of the sector, and to honouring those who work tirelessly to improve communities and change lives.”

The deadline for entries is 7 February 2020 and the shortlist will be announced at the end of April. The winners will be announced on 11 June during a glittering gala dinner at The Pavilion, in the grounds of the Tower of London.

More details are available on the Charity Awards website.