What are the Ashden Awards?
The Ashden Awards boost outstanding climate solutions. For more than 20 years our awards have backed radical ideas delivering lower emissions and a fairer world, with grants and development support on offer to winners and finalists.
Now, in a pivotal year for the future of our planet, we want to hear about your bold and brilliant work. Entry to the awards is free, and applications close on Wednesday 3 March. Winners receive a prize of up to £20,000 and a package of support.
This year’s award categories include greener communities, energy access, green skills, natural climate solutions, sustainable cooling and more. Some categories focus on the UK, and others cover work in low- and middle-income countries. Businesses, public bodies and charities can all apply.
Why Apply?
Winning an Ashden Award brings a prize of up to £20,000 as well as ongoing development support, from professional mentoring to pro-bono legal help.
We put winners in front of funders, investors, policymakers, journalists and others who know the unique value of an Ashden Award and the strength of our rigorous assessment process.
We’ll create a promotional film about your work and tell your story in mainstream and specialist media, and through our growing digital channels. We’ve helped previous winners gain coverage in The Telegraph, Al Jazeera, New Scientist and other leading international publications.
As an award winner, your views, needs and insights will be at the heart of our influential reports, toolkits and events – which shape the views of key climate decision makers.
All winners join the Ashden network – giving them the chance to connect with new partners through masterclasses, investor pitching events and introductions to influential policy makers.
Who can apply?
Businesses, NGOs, government organisations, social enterprises and community groups are all eligible. Work must be currently available to clients, customers or beneficiaries.
The Ashden Awards for green skills and green communities are open to work in the UK.
The Ashden Award for climate innovation in the UK is open to work in Britain and Europe – but European applicants must spend the prize money bringing their work to the UK.
The five remaining awards are only open to work in low- and middle-income countries, as defined by the World Bank – find a full list here.
Our natural climate solutions award focuses on solutions in the Amazon basin, Congo Basin and South East Asian rainforest.
For more detail on our eligibility criteria, visit our FAQs below.
What makes an Ashden winner?
Work should be innovative. It might feature new technology, new approaches to marketing and distribution, or a new way of sharing training and skills. It might involve improved financing mechanisms or an innovative business model.
Work should also have the potential to create significant impact. This impact might be a large drop in greenhouse gas emissions, raised incomes, better health, reduced inequality, or a combination of positive outcomes. Impact might be achieved by the growth of the organisation applying, or by the spread of their ideas to other organisations.
Initiatives should boost resilience and be as participatory and democratic as possible – designed and run with input from the people they support, particularly marginalised groups. Applicants should also show good governance and management.
For a full list of our judging criteria, visit our FAQs below.
How to apply?
The deadline for applications is 3 March 2021, and winners will be announced in Autumn 2021 (date tbc).
Apply in English using our online application portal here.
For more detail around the full application and judging process, please visit out FAQs below.
