This year's awards are now closed for nominations!
To be eligible for the Spirit of Manchester Awards you need to adhere to the following:
- Voluntary and community groups need to be registered with Macc as either a full or affiliate member. If you aren’t already register now - you can still apply whilst your membership is being processed
- Applicants need to be based in and offer their service in the city of Manchester and volunteers need to be Manchester residents and volunteer in the city
- Groups, organisations and businesses can nominate themselves and just need to complete the online form stating the category they want to go for and outlining the reasons
- Volunteers need to be nominated by a Manchester based voluntary or community group/organisation that they volunteer for
We are looking for individuals and groups/organisations that are going above and beyond their duties and are making a significant impact on people's lives and wellbeing in Manchester.
To apply please complete this short nomination form, fill in your details, select the category you are nominating for and write a short piece on why you are nominating a group/individual/business. Applicants need to write a maximum of 200 words showing how they have met the below criteria over the last year. (The Contribution to the sector award can cover more than the last year). One nomination is adequate – it isn’t the number of nominations that will determine if an applicant is shortlisted, it is the content of the application.
If you need any help please contact Hannah, Email: [email protected] Tel: 0161 834 9823
The deadline is 2 June (midnight) and you will be contacted at the end of June if you have been shortlisted.
The awards event will be at the end of September.
Good luck!
Categories and their criteria:
Volunteer of the year – outstanding contribution
Volunteers should be nominated by the organisation they volunteer for. Applicants should show how they:
• Go above and beyond their role
• Inspire and motivate others to volunteer
• Have made an impact
Volunteer involving organisation of year
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a volunteer. Applicants should show how they:
• Promote and retain volunteers/volunteering
• Make volunteers feel part of the team
• Promote support volunteering through their vision and values
Small business of the year – commitment to being socially responsible
Businesses need to be registered business with companies house. They can nominate themselves or be nominated by an organisation. Applicants should show how they:
• Encourage staff to volunteer
• Encourage donating to/supporting charities - Payroll giving/give as you earn/sponsorship
• Reinvesting in the local community
Most innovative group
Community groups can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Applicants should show how they:
• Are resourceful. Show their best use of limited funds and getting free resources/support
• Use new opportunities to change their service - could be running a new/existing service
• Are creative in the way the service is run
• Think differently in becoming sustainable
Best service user involving organisation
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Applicants should show how they:
• Involve the people who benefit from the service in delivery and shaping the service. This could be with service users on the Board, asking for feedback regularly or holding consultations. Have service users become staff/volunteers in delivering the service?
Most successful campaign
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Applicants should show how they:
• Made a difference
• Saw a need for change
Best partnership initiative/collaboration
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Applicants should show how they:
• Made a difference by working in partnership - Could be a voluntary or community sector group/organisation working with the public sector, private or another community group
Manchester youth volunteering award
Nominations can be for an individual or a group of young people aged 16-25 years old. They can nominate themselves or be nominated by their organisation or service users. Applicants should show how they:
• Make a difference to the community by volunteering their time and skills
• Are creative in helping to solve a problem/provide a service
Wellbeing award (in partnership with the NHS Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups)
Nominations need to be from small community groups with an annual income of less than £100,000. Groups can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Applicants should show how they:
• Actively encourage others to get involved in improving wellbeing in their community (whether it is a neighbourhood or community of identity)
Contribution to the voluntary and community sector
This category is for an individual and can be wider than their contribution in the last year. An organisation, colleague or service user can nominate the individual and the overall winner will be picked by the panel of judges and told before the event. Applicants should show how they have:
• Made a significant contribution to the voluntary and community sector over the years