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Minister of Excellence
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International Awards
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Learn About Our Judges
Test Judge1
Founder of EcoGreen Inc.
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Test Judge2
Mayor of Hobbiton
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FAQs
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Eligibility for applying for an award
Businesses, NGOs, government organisations, and social enterprises (both for-profit and not-for-profit, including community groups) are all eligible. Each award is limited to work in certain parts of the world. See below for a list of countries eligible for each award.
Ashden Award for Climate Innovation in the UK
This award is primarily for work in the UK. However, we will also consider work that is being carried out in Europe, if the applicant aims to bring it to the UK marke. In these cases, the purpose of the award would be to help the applicant raise their profile in the UK and bring their work here, and the prize would need to be spent in support of this goal.
Ashden Award for Green Skills and Ashden Award for Green Communities
Work submitted must be carried out in the UK.
International awards
See here for a list of eligible countries. Note that the natural Climate Solutions award focuses on the Amazon Basin, Congo Basin and South East Asian rainforest.
To be shortlisted and win an Award, all applicants must satisfy these eligibility criteria:
- The work submitted for an award must be currently available for customers, clients or beneficiaries.
- The applicant must show an innovative approach in their work
- The applicant’s work must have the potential to create significant impact. This might be achieved by their growth as an organisation, or the replication of their innovation around the world. Applicants must be willing to work with Ashden and others to achieve this goal. ‘Significant’ impact could be a large reduction in emissions, a mitigation action that addresses a serious threat to people’s wellbeing, or a transformation in people’s quality of life – particularly the most marginalised.
- The applicant must show good governance and management. We are looking for efficient use of funds and a strong plan to generate further income, whether from sales, grants or any other source. Organisations can be for–profit or not-for-profit. Winners must have sustainability embedded in their values and practices.
Applying for an award
*Please note: the application process for our green communities award is slightly different. Find out how to apply to this award in the FAQs below or watch our video on how to apply for the award here.
For all other awards:
All applications must be completed and submitted via our online application portal here.
If you would like a preview of the application form, there is a copy of the form here. Note that not all of questions you see in this copy will appear when you complete the actual form online, as some are shown or hidden based on your answers to earlier questions. The copy of the form is for reference only – the form must be completed online for your application to be considered.
If you decide not to complete your application for any reason then you may withdraw by contacting us at apply@ashden.org.
Please note: the application process for our green communities award is slightly different.
Find out how to apply to this award in the FAQs below or watch our video on how to apply for the award here.
If you would like to discuss whether your work is relevant to the Ashden Awards, or have questions about the application process, please contact us on +44 (0) 20 7410 7023 or apply@ashden.org
Please note that there are two different March deadlines for our different awards.
Check below to see the deadline date of the award you’re applying to:
Deadline: Wednesday 3 March 2021, 23:59 GMT
- Award for humanitarian energy
- Award for natural climate solutions
- Award for energy access innovation
- Award for cooling in informal settlements
- Ashden award for climate innovation in the UK
- Award for green skills (UK)
- Award for green communities (UK)
Deadline: Wednesday 17 March 2021, 23:59 GMT
- Award for energy access skills
- Award for regenerative agriculture
- March 2021: About 30–40 applicants chosen to send additional information, financial accounts and references. All other applicants told they have not been successful.
- April 2021: Deadline for receipt of additional information, audited accounts and references.
- May 2021: Judging panels meet to shortlist 15-20 applicants. All other applicants told they have not been successful.
- May and June 2021: Assessors visit the shortlisted applicants.
- July 2021: Judging panels meet to select up to 8 award winners. All other shortlisted applicants told of the outcome.
- July – September 2021: Preparation of publicity material about all shortlisted applicants. Detailed case studies written about winners’ work. Film crew visit award winners.
- Autumn 2021: Awards week: Award ceremony is will take place in Autumn 2021. Date tbc and more details to follow.
The 2021 award categories are:
Deadline 3 March 2021:
Climate innovation in the UK
Green skills (UK)
Greener communities (UK)
Natural climate solutions
Cooling in informal settlements
Energy access innovation
Humanitarian energy
Deadline 17 March 2021:
Energy access skills
Regenerative agriculture
In 2021, we will be awarding work that fits into the category themes and meets the criteria listed in our FAQS further below. Please refer to these themes and criteria when considering your application as eligibility for the different awards is based on the type of work you are engaged in and the country where that work is carried out.
When completing your application, please indicate the specific theme/themes you feel are most relevant to your work. We will consider your application in themes other than the ones you have indicated if we feel they fit your work more closely. If you are unsure whether your work fits any of the categories listed below, please contact apply@ashden.org to discuss your eligibility.
Yes – you can make more than one application, providing they are for different programmes or businesses, if you are involved with more than one. Please do not submit two applications for the same work.
No – for all our Awards, the work submitted for the Award must be currently available to customers, clients or beneficiaries. The more evidence that you can present for the impact of your work, the better your chance of meeting the award criteria.
There is no fee to apply for an award. All you will need to do is make time to complete the form, and then answer any questions we might ask you after you have submitted your form.
If you are shortlisted, you will also need to set aside time for preparing and hosting a judging visit from Ashden assessors. If you win, you will need to set aside up to one week in October 2021 to take part in our Awards Week events in London, UK.
We carry out an initial review of applications to check eligibility and select a longlist (March 2021)
We carry out a detailed assessment of long-listed applications, including requesting further information from applicants (early April 2021)
Judging panels meet to select shortlist (May 2021).
Assessment visits to shortlisted applicants (May and June 2021).
Judging panels meet to select winners (July 2021).
All information submitted may be seen by the Ashden team (including judges and assessors). All our judges and assessors are required to sign a confidentiality agreement before viewing any application materials.
For applicants that do not win, we generally retain their application materials for up to three years. This is to enable ‘fast-track’ re-applications by those applicants during this period. However, this is optional – there is a question in the form which asks for permission to do this. If permission is not given and you wish to reapply within the next three years, you will need to fill the application form in again.
It is a condition of your entry to the 2021 Ashden Awards that Ashden has the right to publicise your involvement through its communications channels (including but not limited to its website, social media platforms and Ceremony programme). All shortlisted applicants, and particularly winners, may be required by Ashden to participate in publicity opportunities such as media interviews.
It is a condition of your entry to the 2021 Ashden Awards that Ashden has the right to publicise your involvement through its communications channels (including but not limited to its website, social media platforms and ceremony programme). All shortlisted applicants and particularly winners may be required by Ashden to participate in publicity opportunities such as media interviews.
To maximise the impact of our Awards, we announce our longlist, shortlist and winners on specific dates. If you reach the longlisting/shortlisting stage, or win an Ashden Award, we ask you not to publicise this fact until the date set by us. Our communications team will work closely with you on this.
Applying for the green communities award.
No, you may choose to submit your application through the method which suits you best. This may, for example, be as a video, podcast or presentation outlining your response to the application questions.
The length of your video is up to you, however we recommend no more than 20 minutes. If you would prefer to submit several smaller clips then feel free to do so
If you believe you already have a suitable piece of work that answers the questions outlined within the green communities award application form then you may use this as your application instead.
Submissions of additional media files in support of a green communities award application can be done via email to apply@ashden.org.
Alternatively, you may submit your application via the file transfer service of your choosing, for example Dropbox, WeTransfer or Google Drive.
Once you have submitted your application on the Ashden application portal you will receive an application submission confirmation via email.
You will also receive a confirmation email confirming receipt of your media file within 1-2 working days of you submitting the file, should you choose to do this as part of your application.
No, unfortunately you may not use an alternative media application to apply for other Ashden awards.
To apply for another Ashden award you will need to complete a full application in writing on our application portal here.
Yes, if your application is unsuccessful, Ashden will provide you with feedback
Judging criteria and process
Eligible applications will be judged against the following general criteria, and against how well they fit with the theme of the award applied for:
- Radical decarbonisation: The applicant is contributing or has the potential to contribute to radically reducing carbon emissions before 2030, while recognising people’s right to a good quality of life.
- Reducing inequality: The applicant is reducing inequality , particularly in the context of making the transition to a fair and sustainable low-carbon society. This could impact both the end-users of the work, those involved in delivering it, and those benefiting indirectly.
- Participation and democratisation: The applicant’s work encourages participation and democratisation, for example by involving or consulting with the community, customers or beneficiaries, or by shared ownership.
- Resilience: The applicant’s work builds resilience to climate change impacts and economic and other shocks, and is appropriate for the context in which it operates. We are especially interested in how the work has responded to the coronavirus pandemic this year.
- Additional benefits: The applicant’s work brings other benefits alongside decarbonisation, such as positive health and wellbeing outcomes, improved air quality, community cohesion or new and better jobs.
Details of the judging panels will be released on our website once confirmed. The assessment teams include Ashden staff, representatives from funders and knowledge partners, and freelance specialists in specific sectors
You will hear in April 2021 if you have made it through to the longlist. The first judging meetings are then held in May, after which you will hear if you have made it through to the shortlist. You will find out if you will be a winner or a runner up in July, but winners are not publicly announced until shortly before the Awards Ceremony in October.
If your organisation is longlisted, we will get in touch by April to ask for the following, to better understand your work and assure ourselves of your financial viability:
- Answers to some additional questions about your work.
- A copy of your published accounts for the past two years.
- A copy of your draft accounts for the current financial year.
- A 2-minute informal video summarising the work you do, why it deserves an Ashden Award, and how the award would benefit you.
- Contact details for two referees, who will be followed up if you are shortlisted.
If you are shortlisted, we will get in touch to arrange a visit to assess your work. For applicants based in the UK or Europe, the judging visit usually takes a whole day, and involves one or two people from Ashden and sometimes a representative from the funder of the award.
For applicants with work based in other countries, the visit usually lasts one to three days, and involves one Ashden assessor. Due to the travel restrictions that have occurred because of the coronavirus pandemic, the assessor is likely to be someone more local to your work who is a member of the Ashden network rather than our core London team. In this case, we would also carry out interviews via Zoom with our team in London.
The visit will include meetings with key staff such as your chief executive, financial officer, the person in charge of the work submitted for an Award, and other employees. It will also include seeing the work submitted in operation, usually through site visits, and meeting customers or clients. Applicants that are chosen to be visited will be credited as runners-up if they do not become winners. We may ask you not to share news of your longlisting, shortlisting or award win until a certain date.
Winning an award
- There are nine awards in 2021, six with an international focus and three focused on the UK. The winners will receive prize funds of £10,000 or £20,000 each, depending on which Award they win.
- Prestige of winning one of the world’s top sustainability awards. The rigour of our assessment process is well known to investors, policymakers, academics and other experts in the sustainable energy and climate change sector around the world.
- Membership of an alumni network of Ashden Award winners, which facilitates learning and opportunities to create productive partnerships.
- Opportunities to present your work to large and influential audiences at the Ashden Awards Ceremony and other Ashden events.
- The chance to have your work profiled in regional, national, international and specialist media. Ashden’s communication team works to get winners exposure in newspapers and magazines, on television and radio, and on a wide range on online platforms. This continues long after the award ceremony – Ashden regularly secures coverage for winners months and even years after they win their award.
- Promotional material including photographs, print material and broadcast quality video for winners to use in their own marketing efforts.
- Where it can have a significant impact, tailored support from our programme team to grow or replicate your work: this can include professional mentoring, training, help raising finance and investment, and media and communications support.
- Where it can have significant impact, introductions to influential policy and decision makers, and an opportunity to make your voice heard.
- We also seek to integrate UK based winners into our Liveable Cities programme of work, where we embed our winners’ approaches into policy and practice. We have recently published a climate action co-benefits toolkit for local authorities, featuring great case studies from our alumni which has been downloaded over 3,000 times. We run a network of city region sustainability lead officers, with regular meetings where we showcase our winners’ solutions.
- Additionally, there is opportunity for our winners to participate in a programme of free masterclasses which help them to get to grips with a wide range of practical issues. This can be anything from customer experience, developing a communications strategy or getting investment ready.
As an Ashden Award winner, you will:
- Take part in the awards week events which will take place in Autumn 2021 (date tbc. Due to coronavirus travel restrictions, this may take place remotely, however we will keep you updated about watch-parties /in-country events. Winning an Ashden Award is contingent on taking part in the awards week activities.
- Receive a visit from our video producer and in some cases a photographer.
- Be expected to participate in media interviews that we may be able to arrange.
- Agree with Ashden what you will spend the prize fund on and any business support you may receive.
- Provide monitoring data about the progress of your work after one, two and three years.
- Join our global alumni network of over 200 winners, a unique opportunity for learning and collaboration.