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
- Businesses applying for the Business citizenship award do not need to be members of Macc
- 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
- 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.
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.
Video
By applying for an award you are agreeing for a short film (maximum of one minute long) to be made about your work/volunteer if you are shortlisted. These films will be shown at the awards evening and will be voted on to determine the winner of each category. They will be uploaded to the Community Reporter website and can also be used on your website and for you to generally publicise your work.
Shortlisting
All nominations received will be forwarded to the judging panel for assessment against the criteria detailed below. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by Friday 25 May 2018 by email or telephone so please ensure the details supplied on the nomination form are correct. Please note we are unable to notify the nominator of successful candidates nor is it possible to inform unsuccessful candidates or give feedback.
If you need any help please contact Cheryl, on 0161 834 9823, or email: [email protected]
The deadline is 30 April 2018 (midnight) and you will be contacted early-June if you have been shortlisted.
The awards event will be at the beginning of October and all shortlisted nominees will be invited.
To apply please complete our short nomination form by clicking Nominate below - fill in your details, select the category you are nominating for and write a maximum of 200 words showing how the nominee has met the criteria for that category over the last year. Please note: one nomination per person/organisation for the same category, is adequate, making multiple nominations will not influence any decisions.
Good luck!
2018 Award Categories and criteria
Volunteer of the Year
Open to all volunteers within the city of Manchester. Volunteers should be nominated by the organisation that they volunteer for. Nominations must show:
- How they go above and beyond their role
- How they inspire and motivate others to volunteer
- The impact they have made
Volunteering Team Award
Volunteer teams should be nominated by the organisation they volunteer for. Nominations must show:
- How the team has made an impact to the organisation and the wider community
- Give a demonstration of how a team has worked together on a specific project / challenge
- Where the team have remained organised and shown innovation
Employee Volunteering Award
For an individual or group of staff who have done some great work in the community through an employee volunteering scheme. Volunteers should be nominated by their employer. Nominations must show:
- How they have gone the extra mile
- How they have been creative, using their existing skills in a new way
- How they have contributed to or produced social value, and /or their organisation’s corporate social responsibility
Volunteer Involving Organisation Award
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a volunteer. Nominations must show how the organisation:
- Promotes, retains and rewards volunteers / volunteering
- Makes volunteers feel part of the team
- Promotes volunteering through their vision and values
Service User Involving Organisation Award
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a person who uses the organisation’s services. Nominations must show:
- How they involve the people who benefit from the service in delivery and shaping the service
- Examples such as including service users on the board, asking for feedback regularly or holding consultations. Have service users become staff / volunteers in delivering the service?
Inspiring Campaign Award
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. Nominations must show:
- How the organisation saw a need for change / action
- How they were creative or innovative in the campaign
- How they made a difference
Partnership and Collaboration Award
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Partnerships can be voluntary or community sector organisation working with the public sector, private company or another community group. Nominations must show:
- How they made a difference by working in partnership
Community Space Award
A community space can be a piece of land or a building available for use by the community.
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. Nominations much must show:
- Best use of a community space
- How the space is seen as central within the community
- The impact it has within the community
This award will be voted for online using interactive voting on the Manchester Community Central website.
Business Award
Open to private businesses only. Businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by a local voluntary sector organisation. This is for local businesses who are taking some responsibility for creating and supporting higher standards of living and quality of life in the communities in which they operate, while still being profitable. Nominations must show:
- Use of legal, ethical, environmental, social and financial responsibilities to be a force for good in local communities. Examples could include paying the real Living Wage, buying from local suppliers, reducing environmental impact or recruiting local people
- Actively involving and engaging with the local community and the voluntary sector to utilise their skills, expertise and resources for local good ideally in line with our Spirit of Manchester Business initiative
Community Cohesion Award
For an individual or group who has done some great work to bring communities together to understand, appreciate and positively value each other. The work must have taken place in Manchester within the last 12 months. Nominations must show:
- Activities which have brought together people from across more than one community. These can be communities which are about a shared place, a shared identity or shared interests
- How they promote growing together in harmony rather than conflict and celebrate the diverse nature of the people who live, work and study in this city
This award will be voted for online using interactive voting on the Manchester Community Central website.
Equalities Award
Organisations can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. The work must have taken place in Manchester within the last 12 months. Nominations must show:
- How they address equalities issues and challenge discrimination – working on one or more of the following issues: race, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, faith or other issues for which people experience discrimination
- The impact they have made
Health and Wellbeing Award
Nominated groups must have an annual income of less than £500,000 per year. Groups can nominate themselves or be nominated by a user. Nominations must show how they:
- Actively encourage others to get involved in improving wellbeing in their community
The Dr Sylvia Sham Award for Contribution to the 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 Awards event. Nominations must show how the individual has made a significant contribution to the voluntary and community sector over a number of years.
How it works - here's how the process works, how nominations are handled and how all of this happens.
Supporters
Support our Spirit of Manchester Awards, help us celebrate and reward the voluntary and community sector for all their hard work. Find out how to become a supporter here