Arguably the highlight of the playwork year, the Annual Playwork Awards mark the pinnacle point of the National Playwork Conference held in Eastbourne, England, each year (except when there’s a pandemic, of course).
Now in their 14th year, it’s easier than ever to nominate who you think are the GOAT of playwork. Nominations can be in writing (as before) and can also be made by audio and video! And all you need is to answer 3 questions:
- Who are you nominating?
- Which award are you nominating them for?
- Why are you nominating them?
But you will have to be quick, as time is running out with the deadline for submissions this Friday, 17th November 2023.
Here are the different awards you can nominate under:
The Play and Community Development Award 2024
This Award recognises an organisation or individual who has engaged with and involved the local community to increase children’s opportunities to play.
The recipient of this award will be able to demonstrate:
- Engagement with the local community through auditing play, gathering children’s views, hyperlocal research, fundraising, access to play and/or spaces of play
- Commitment to the playwork principles, diversity, equity and inclusion
- Appropriate collaboration with children to ensure their voices are heard
Click here to nominate
The Paul Bonel Special Mention Award 2024
Paul Bonel, who died in January 2011, was always striving to make the world a better place for children and was at the forefront of the development of playwork as a recognised profession. We are looking to celebrate a living individual who has made a difference to children’s lives through their contribution to playwork.
This award will go to an individual:
- Who has made a significant contribution to the development and understanding of playwork practice at a local or national level
- Whose contribution is respected and acknowledged by their peers
Click here to nominate
The Frontline Playwork Award 2024
This award is for an organisation whose work, practice and ethos is underpinned by the playwork principles.
The recipient of the award will be able to evidence/demonstrate:
- How they underpin all of the playwork principles
- How children have ownership and a voice over the organisation
- How the organisation promotes play and playwork to others in the community
Click here to nominate
The Professional Development Award 2024
This award is for an organisation or individual who has really made a difference through their training, mentoring practice, and approach to professional development. This can be for either internal workplace or external training and mentoring
The recipient of the award must be able to evidence/demonstrate:
- How they promote playwork and the playwork principles in their training, mentoring and professional development work with individuals and organisations
- How they work so that the individual needs of staff, learners or mentees are met as much as possible to enable inclusive practice
- How their work results in demonstrably innovative and sustainable playwork practice from those they train, support or mentor
Click here to nominate
The Altogether Different Award 2024
The recipient of this award is recognised for their flexibility and openness to others – specifically around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion – as they make the celebratory and transformative potential of playwork theory and practice real.
The award goes to the individual or organisation that best meets the following criteria:
- Have a diverse and inclusive reach professionally and with the wider community
- Constantly working to improve or upskill themselves and/or their team about other cultures, beliefs, abilities and preferences
- Show responsiveness within their practice to support the diverse needs of others
Click here to nominate
DON’T DELAY: Deadline this Friday 17th November!
The Playwork Foundation 