BQF UK Excellence Awards

24/04/2026

Huge congratulations to the finalists of the UK Excellence Awards – Patron’s Award for Individuals Serving The Community category, sponsored by Openreach.

Aston Avery
Angela Gilman
Faustina Yang
Stephen Beer

You should be so proud of getting to the finals and we can’t wait to see you at the UK Excellence Awards on 8th October at Wembley Stadium, where we'll be announcing the winners at our fabulous awards ceremony.

24/04/2026

Huge congratulations to the finalists of the UK Excellence Awards – Patron’s Award for Charity Organisations category, sponsored by Openreach.

Great North Air Ambulance Service
Home-Start Wessex
London Youth Rowing
The Road Victims Trust

You should be so proud of getting to the finals and we can’t wait to see you at the UK Excellence Awards on 8th October at Wembley Stadium, where we'll be announcing the winners at our fabulous awards ceremony.

21/02/2026

🚨 Submission Deadline Extended! 🚨

We’re pleased to announce that the submission deadline for the BQF UK Excellence Awards 2026 has been extended to 20th March 2026.

Due to the high level of interest in this year’s awards, we’re giving entrants additional time to refine and submit their strongest possible applications. We want everyone to have the opportunity to showcase their work at its very best.

📌 Important:
While the submission deadline has been extended, you must still register via our digital awards platform by 27th February 2026.

https://ukexcellenceawards.awardsplatform.com/

Make the most of the resources available — including our awards toolkit — to help you craft a compelling entry.

If you have any questions or would like additional support, we’re here to help.

We look forward to celebrating excellence with you.

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28/01/2026

Help us celebrate community excellence
The Patron’s Award exists to shine a light on those who serve. By submitting a nomination, you’re helping ensure their efforts don’t go unnoticed.

If you’ve ever thought, “They really deserve recognition,” this is your chance to make it happen.

Nominate today and help us celebrate the people and organisations who make our communities stronger.

https://www.bqf.org.uk/awards/

28/01/2026

✨ Calling all charities and community organisations ✨

With just over one month to go until entries close for the UK Excellence Awards, we’re encouraging charities and individuals making a real difference to apply for the Patron’s Awards, supported by HRH The Princess Royal.

Finalists in the Patron’s Award categories can access bursaries to support attendance at the awards — because great work deserves to be celebrated.

💬 “Winning a Patron’s Award raised our profile and opened doors to new partnerships that helped us extend our reach and impact. I would strongly encourage charities to apply — it’s a powerful way to showcase your work and celebrate your people.”
— Jane Pearman, Founder of Hypo Hounds and 2025 Patron’s Award winner https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583361387470

⏰ Deadline approaching — don’t miss out
👉 Find out more, access entry resources, and submit your nomination here: https://www.bqf.org.uk/awards/

Please tag or share with a charity you think deserves recognition 💙

28/01/2026

Shining a light on those who serve: spotlight on our free-to-enter Patron's Award

Do you know an individual or organisation quietly making a big difference in their community? Or perhaps that sounds a lot like you?

We are delighted to spotlight one of the most meaningful categories in the UK Excellence Awards, The Patron's Award.
This award is all about recognising dedication, service, and impact. It celebrates people and organisations who give their time, energy, and expertise to support others and strengthen communities, often without expecting recognition.

Hear from one of our winners of The Patron’s Award for Individuals Serving the Community below.
Margaret Rylands, a volunteer for Home-Start Isle of Wight tells us how she has been helping others and why she was nominated for the award. Margaret was awarded the trophy by HRH, The Princess Royal in a glittering ceremony at Wembley Stadium!

One of the most important things to know about the Patron’s Award is that it is completely free to enter. You can nominate an individual, nominate an organisation, or nominate yourself. If someone’s work deserves recognition, we want to hear about it.
Chances are, you already know someone who fits the bill, whether a volunteer, a community champion, a small charity doing incredible work, or even your own organisation or personal contribution. We can also offer a bursary for finalists to attend the awards ceremony.

The Patron’s Award is split into two categories, ensuring that both organisations and individual efforts are celebrated:
• The Patron’s Award for Charity Organisations
This category recognises registered charities, community groups, and not-for-profit organisations that are delivering outstanding service and making a tangible difference to the communities they serve.
• The Patron’s Award for Individuals Serving the Community
This award celebrates individuals who go above and beyond for others, whether through volunteering, community leadership, advocacy, or acts of service that have a lasting positive impact.
Both categories share the same goal: to recognise commitment, compassion, and the impact that they have made.

The Patron’s Award exists to shine a light on those who serve. By submitting a nomination, you’re helping ensure their efforts don’t go unnoticed.

If you’ve ever thought, “They really deserve recognition,” this is your chance to make it happen.

Nominate today and help us celebrate the people and organisations who make our communities stronger.
Remember to use our online toolkit to help with your entry, here you will find examples of past entries, entry criteria, showcases and podcasts that can all help with your entry. www.bqf.org.uk

The closing date for the BQF UK Excellence Awards is 27th February 2026.

08/10/2025

We are delighted to announce that there is just one year to go until the next UK Excellence Awards, sponsored by Forvis Mazars! The grand finals will take place on Thursday 8th October 2026.
To continue to build on the fabulous success of the 2025 Awards we will be returning to the Home of UK Excellence: Wembley Stadium! The feedback from the grand finals earlier this year was phenomenal, the venue delivered on so many levels and is the perfect setting for our incredible celebration of Excellence. We loved being able to give you exclusive access to areas of the iconic venue, and we know that Wembley Stadium has even more to offer.
So, with one year to go, now is an ideal opportunity to get planning and decide which awards you want to enter. There are so many fabulous resources now available for you to leverage; make use of the Awards Toolkit on our website, reach out to past winners through the BQF Community and gain early insight by registering now for our Excellence Celebration at Forvis Mazars on 27th November, which will include the official launch of the 2026 Awards. We cannot wait to share details of our new awards, new sponsors and amazing opportunities with you all.

27/03/2025

And now the public vote! The winner of the People's Choice for the Patron's Award for Best Individual is Grenville Jones of Golden-Oldies Charity

27/03/2025

"Our final Patron's Award is for individuals. Our judges winner provides a very powerful example of how volunteering can make a real difference to individual lives and communities. This person combines a humble approach with a passion for giving back.

And the judges' winner of the Patrons Award for Best Individual is Margaret Rylands from Home-Start UK

27/03/2025

And now the People's Choice. Winner of the public vote for Patrons Award for Best Organisation is Hypo Hounds