We are excited to confirm that the London Sport Awards are returning on 27 March 2025 to celebrate the inspiring stories of those improving the lives of Londoners through sport and physical activity.
Supported by the City of London Corporation, the London Sport Awards 2025 will have ten categories to celebrate the incredible stories of volunteers, sports providers, community clubs, businesses and other organisations who are improving the lives of Londoners through sport.
View the criteria for each category and nominate one or more unsung grassroot sport and physical activity hero via the form below.
The deadline to nominate is 24 November 2024.
Nomination Criteria
Digital and Tech Innovation Award
Summary
The Digital and Tech Innovation Award recognises creative new thinking and innovative ideas through the creation and/or use of digital or tech methods to support inactive Londoners to get and stay physically active.
The creation of new tech, the adaption of existing methods and the continued growth of digital platforms means there are now more ways than ever to support inactive people to start and continue good habits.
The Digital and Tech Innovation Award celebrates those groups and/or individuals who have taken a creative new approach and championed innovation in the physical activity and sport sector, using it to have a positive impact in London.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– A clear understanding of how innovation, digital or tech methods can be used to help raise participation levels in physical activity and sport.
– The development of new digital methods and/or technology to support underrepresented and under-served adults or children and young people in London to take part in physical activity and sport.
– The use of existing technology in a new or innovative way to achieve a demonstrable impact on physical activity participation levels in London.
– Evidence of a creative idea, programme or initiative which uses digital or tech to support inactive Londoners to get and stay active.
– An innovative approach to using digital or tech to engage Londoners in physical activity, rather than simply the use of digital products or tools.
– Evidence of taking a creative idea through the innovation process to test, learn and launch a digital or tech solution to tackle inactivity and inequality.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Community Impact Award
Summary
The Community Impact Award shines a spotlight on grassroots physical activity and sport clubs or community organisations delivering great service and benefits to its users and/or the wider community.
Being active provides people with an incredible array of physical and mental health benefits and positive opportunities for individual, community and economic development.
The Community Impact Award captures and celebrates a wide cohort of grassroots physical activity and sport clubs and community organisations, whether that’s in a traditional sport setting or across London’s parks and streets.
The winner of the Community Impact Award will deliver a great service to its users, whether that’s online or offline, and will go the extra mile to make physical activity or sport a fun and enjoyable experience for all.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all, of the following:
– Be a grassroots club or community organisation.
– Contributes significantly to the physical and/or mental wellbeing of participants.
– Ability to use physical activity and sport to support the personal development of individuals whether that’s social, community and/or economic.
– Made a positive difference to individuals or to society and can evidence the impact made, either on large groups, or on a smaller number of individuals, or to a specific community e.g. in place or a protected characteristic.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Active Design Award
Summary
The Active Design Award recognises outstanding projects that promote physical activity, health, and well-being through innovative design solutions.
This category highlights designs in various sectors—urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and product design—that encourage movement and active lifestyles.
The Active Design Award celebrates organisations and projects that are working to ensure that communities have an environment that encourages physical movement and have access
to provision of safe, inclusive and accessible facilities and spaces, which is key to promoting positive wellbeing throughout that community.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– Projects that protect, create, open-up and sustain the right environments that make it easier for London’s communities to be active.
– Principles of Active Design applied and implemented to enable more opportunities for Londoners to be active through the wider built environment (Further details on Sport England’s 10 principles of Active Design can be found here.)
– The use of non-traditional spaces to provide more opportunities for less active Londoners to access sport and physical activity.
– Designs that foster opportunities for physical movement or physical activity, such as multi use games areas, walking, cycling, or other forms of exercise, whether through urban planning, architecture, or interior design.
– Helping those from London’s most deprived community get active.
The delivery of a project that evidences a demonstratable and measurable impact on the reduction of carbon emissions (OR climate change and pollution).
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Uniting London Award in association with Sid Lee
Summary
The Uniting London Award, in association with Sid Lee, celebrates those who strive to break down barriers, make physical activity and sport accessible to all people and communities across our city and bring Londoners together.
This Award recognises physical activity and sport’s power to drive change and drive down inequalities. It recognises people, organisations, projects or initiatives that promote diversity, equality and inclusion throughout their work in physical activity and sport.
The Uniting London Award celebrates organisations and projects that utilise physical activity and sport to build cohesive communities by bringing people together to welcome, empower and embrace ethnic, cultural, physical and other differences.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– Building cohesive communities by bringing people together and embracing ethnic, cultural, physical and other differences through physical activity and sport.
– Demonstrating the use of sport to relieve tension, end disunity or discrimination, inspire trust, create meaningful relationships and promote social integration.
– Raising the awareness and understanding of the needs of diverse communities and those with disabilities and deliver accordingly to increase participation.
– Developing supportive environments and solutions which champion physical activity and sport that is accessible for all Londoners.
– Helping those from London’s most deprived community get active.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Enhancing the Sporting Workforce Award
Summary
The Enhancing the Sporting Workforce Award recognises the individuals, organisations, groups or programmes that have supported their workforce to grow and develop.
Supporting people to lead physically active lives is a role that falls to many groups and individuals.
The sport and physical activity industry has an important role to play in enabling people that are currently inactive to find and access physical activity and sport to make positive changes to their lives.
This Award recognises whoever is enhancing the sporting workforce; whether it’s supporting, training or mentoring coaches, volunteers, administrators, officials or any other part of the sporting workforce.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all, of the following:
– Have uniquely helped to either grow sport’s workforce or support its development.
– Have reached out to a workforce that supports less active or inactive Londoners.
Demonstrated an appreciation of having a skilled and confident workforce
– Those that have worked with communities or groups who have particularly benefited from being involved in physical activity and sport.
The nomination must detail activities/projects/initiatives that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024. The work may be on-going.
Business Contribution Award in association with the City of London Corporation
Summary
The Business Contribution Award, in association with the City of London Corporation, recognises the valuable contribution of businesses of all sizes in providing sponsorship, support, and resources which enable community physical activity and sport to thrive in London.
Community physical activity and sport programmes, projects and organisations cannot operate in isolation and support for them from businesses has been more important than ever.
This Award recognises the contribution of commercial organisations, large and small, to community physical activity and sport through practical support, advice/mentorship, collaboration and investment.
This Award celebrates businesses with a bold and innovative approach to Responsible Business and can demonstrate they make a real tangible difference in local communities.
The Business Contribution Award also celebrates the individual business role models who inspire and motivate others to support community physical activity and sport initiatives.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– This Award recognises the valuable contribution of businesses of all sizes in providing sponsorship, support, and resources which enable community physical activity and sport to thrive in London.
– Community physical activity and sport programmes, projects and organisations cannot operate in isolation and support for them from businesses has been more important than ever.
– This Award recognises the contribution of commercial organisations, large and small, to community physical activity and sport through practical support, advice/mentorship, collaboration and investment.
– This Award celebrates businesses with a bold and innovative approach to Responsible Business and can demonstrate they make a real tangible difference in local communities.
– The Business Contribution Award also celebrates the individual business role models who inspire and motivate others to support community physical activity and sport initiatives.
Supporting Young Londoners Award
Summary
Children and young people are London’s future. Building positive attitudes to sport and physical activity in children from an early age can help them to feel more motivated, confident and able to get active throughout their life.
The Supporting Young Londoners Award celebrates the outstanding work of individuals (of any age), organisations and educational facilities (schools/colleges) who are providing young people (under the age of 25) with a better opportunity to enjoy doing sport and physical activity’.
Whether in school or within the community, this Award celebrates those initiatives that encourage movement, whether that be sport, dance, fitness or any other form of physical activity.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– Working with children and young people in London (below 25). Please note that if the nomination is for a person, the nominee can be of any age.
– A creative approach to getting more young Londoners enjoying doing sport and physical activity.
– A positive impact on the lives, health and wellbeing of children and young people.
– An ability to increase the proportion of young people from underrepresented and under-served groups taking part in regular physical activity and/or sport.
– An ability to integrate regular physical activity and sport into daily routines for young people who are less likely to be active.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Health and Wellbeing Award
Summary
The role of physical activity and sport in promoting positive health and wellbeing is increasingly well understood, both in terms of physical health and wider outcomes e.g. social and mental health.
The Health and Wellbeing Award highlights significant achievements in using physical activity to promote physical and mental health and wellbeing, emphasising the vital role that being physically active plays in supporting health outcomes. Solutions should meet the needs of these less active Londoners and also look to reduce the inequalities that persist in people having the opportunities to live active lives.
This Award shines a light on those supporting Londoners with their physiological health, mental wellbeing, health management or any of the wider outcomes supported by physical activity and sport.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– The role of physical activity in ‘improving physical or mental health outcomes for Londoners’
Collaboration between the health and physical activity and sport sector to improve health outcomes.
– Primary or specific focus on London or a London borough.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Summary
Volunteers are the lifeblood of grassroots physical activity and sport. For so many, regular activity simply wouldn’t be possible without volunteers – the army of coaches, administrators, officials, fundraisers and supporters that mobilises every single week.
Volunteer of the Year celebrates the outstanding contribution of volunteers to grassroots physical activity and sport; individuals who share their knowledge, passion and skills and give their time generously.
The Volunteer of the Year Award celebrates those people that support grassroots physical activity and sport with their know-how, dedication and hands-on approach. The volunteers we’ll be celebrating gladly give up their time for the benefit of people in every borough in every corner of the capital.
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– An exceptional commitment to grassroots physical activity and sport in London.
– A track-record of making a real difference to physical activity and sport through their own effort.
– An impact on people, or on a particular project(s), through their own dedication and expertise.
– Nominations are encouraged from all age groups, particularly young people.
The nomination must detail activities that have taken place between 1st September 2023 and 1st October 2024.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Summary
The Lifetime Achievement award seeks to honour those who have given least 25 years of service in the physical activity, elite sport or community sport sector.
The recipient of the award is someone that has had a significant and positive impact on the people they have worked with over the course of their active involvement in the sector. Their commitment to, and passion for improving lives through the use of physical activity or sport is exemplary to all.
This award recognises someone who has worked or volunteered in the physical activity, elite sport or community sector and who has left a lasting legacy
Criteria
Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following:
– Championing diversity and inclusion in a club or organisation.
– Making a positive and lasting change to the lives of those affected.
Simply bringing a smile to participants faces day in, day out.
– Evidence the nominee has volunteered or worked in the sector for at least 25 years. The work may be on-going.
