National Church Awards 2023
Submissions have now closed for 2023.
This year’s National Church Awards will take place on Monday 6 November at 4pm from Mercers Hall in the City of London.
Find out if your local church, chapel or meeting house is a winner!
National Church Awards 2023
The National Church Awards – the ‘BAFTAs for churches’ – is back and bigger than ever.
Churches have an amazing story to tell – from their beautiful buildings to the dedicated volunteers who keep them open and serving local people – but they need help. With the future of many churches uncertain and under threat, there has never been a more important time to celebrate the UK’s churches and their importance to communities.
Nominate your church today and join with us in a UK-wide celebration of the amazing good that churches and their buildings contribute to society.
Nominations will close at midnight on Tuesday 8 August 2023, except for the Architecture awards that will close earlier, at 12pm on Tuesday 25 July.
Winners will be announced at our awards ceremony in London on Monday 6 November 2023. Information on tickets and how to join the livestream of the ceremony will be available nearer the time.
This year's awards are:
- Church architecture awards
- Church maintenance awards
- Church tourism awards
- Church volunteer awards
- Friends award
- Church of the year award
We use an online platform called Zealous for submissions, which allows you to amend your submission right up to the closing date. This gives you the flexibility to create your nomination and then gather the information you need before submitting your application. When you click through to Zealous, click the SUBMIT button to start a submission.
If you need any other help, please visit our helpful frequently asked questions page or get in touch.
Get inspiration from last year's finalists.
Church architecture awards
There are three awards up for grabs in this category, all of which are run in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA).
The National Church Awards are now closed for submissions. Please do sign up to watch the awards event at the top of this page.
Read the guidelines and questions for the church architecture awards here
The King of Prussia Gold Medal Award
Nominate an architect or surveyor who completed innovative, high quality church conservation or repair work. The architect 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
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. Nominate an architect or surveyor today.
Young Architect or Surveyor of the Year Award
This an additional award, that will be selected from the nominations we receive from the categories above. It is for an architect or surveyor that is under the age of 40 who was responsible for a scheme for either the King of Prussia Gold Medal or the Presidents' Award. The winner receives a stained glass roundel, and a cash prize sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance.
Church maintenance awards
The Nayler Awards for Excellence in Church Maintenance is run in partnership with the Pilgrim Trust
There are four prizes available, given to a winner from each of the four nations : England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There will also be an overall winner, who will receive an additional prize.
The National Church Awards are now closed for submissions. Please do sign up to watch the awards event at the top of this page.
The Nayler Awards for Excellence in Church Maintenance
The awards shines a shine a light on the people who look after local churches, keeping them in good condition so they can be open and available to all. They are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. Each winner will receive £2500, and the overall winner for this category will receive an additional £2500. Nominate a person or team who looks after your church today.
Read and download the guidelines and questions for the Church Maintenance Awards here
Church volunteer awards
The Church and Community Volunteer Awards are run in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust
There are four awards available, which will be given to a winner from each of the four nations : England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There will also be an overall winner, who will receive an additional prize.
The National Church Awards are now closed for submissions. Please do sign up to watch the awards event at the top of this page.
The Church and Community Volunteer Awards
This award celebrates the vital contribution of volunteers in keeping churches open for all and to highlight their contribution to their communities. Whether that’s running a food bank, listening services, support group, café or library – we want to hear from churches that are using their buildings in ways that enrich the lives of their communities. These awards are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. Each winner will receive £750, and the overall winner will receive an additional £750. Nominate your amazing volunteer teams today.
Read the guidelines and questions for the Church Volunteer Awards here
Church tourism awards
The Open For Visitors has four prizes available in this category, which will be given to a winner from each of the four nations : England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There will also be an overall winner, who will receive an additional prize.
The National Church Awards are now closed for submissions. Please do sign up to watch the awards event at the top of this page.
The Open For Visitors Awards
These awards celebrate how your church, chapel or meeting house welcomes visitors from near and afar. We want to hear about the innovative ways you tell your story to people who do not usually use your church and the impact being open and welcoming has for your visitors and your community. These awards are open to all churches, chapels and meeting houses across the UK. Each winner will receive £500, and the overall winner will receive an additional £500.
Read the guidelines and questions for the Church Tourism Awards here
Friends Award
Submissions have already been received for this award, which will be voted on by our Friends over the summer. Our Friends are members of the National Churches Trust, whose support enables us to keep churches across the UK open for all.
Entries for this award are recent grantees of the National Churches Trust, who are in the middle of carrying out urgent repairs to their church. The winner of the Friends Award will receive an additional £10,000 to help fund this vital work.
This is one of the amazing ways our Friends can make a difference and help shape the work we do and keep churches open and thriving.
The Church of Year Award
The shortlist for this prestigious award is made up of the winners from the previous categories. A specialist judging panel, featuring sector and heritage specialists will be reviewing the winning churches with the winner being announced at our awards ceremony on Monday 6 November 2023.
To be eligible your church must be nominated for and win one of the above awards.
AWARDSAllLogos2022
MikeSwift