Youth Matters Awards Portal

Nominations for this year’s awards are now open, closing on Monday 6 July.

Find out more about the criteria for each award in our dedicated guidance sections below, and good luck!

• Monday 1 June – Nominations open
• Monday 6 July – Nominations close
• Monday 10 August – Finalists announced & public vote opens
• Monday 24 August – Public vote closes
• Monday 7 September – Sunday 4 October – Early bird ticket sales
• Friday 13 November – Youth Matters Awards night

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Nominations open on Monday 1 June. There are 14 awards you can submit nominations for.

There is no limit to the number of people or projects you can nominate from your YMCA, but you must only nominate each person or project for one of the awards. The only exception is the Lewis Sewell Memorial Award – you may submit a young person for this award as well as in one other young person category.

Below is a brief description of each category, to help you decide the best place for your nomination:

• Young Achiever of the Year – Recognises the exceptional achievements of a young person who has overcome significant obstacles to make a real difference to their own lives and their community.
• Young Campaigner of the Year – Acknowledges a young person advocating for a cause at local, national or international level.
• Young Leader of the Year – Honours a young person for their ability to make a real difference in their YMCA by bringing about positive change, working with vision and inspiring others.
• Young Volunteer of the Year – Recognises a young person who has shown outstanding commitment to YMCA and contributed energy, skills and time.
• Young Worker of the Year – Celebrates a young worker for their outstanding commitment to building a brighter future for young people and for going the extra mile to make a real difference to their lives.
• Lewis Sewell Memorial Award – Awarded by the Lewis Sewell Memorial Trust to a young person who who embodies the values of positivity, courage, and resilience, and has made a significant impact on their community through their actions.
• Red Triangle Award – Recognises a former or current staff member, volunteer, supporter or service user who has shown outstanding commitment to YMCA.
• Diversity Award – Celebrates a project that has actively encouraged and/or promoted diversity across age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
• Project Awards – Recognises a project that has performed outstandingly in the past 12 months:
  • Family & Youth Work Project of the Year – such as projects that provide positive outcomes with children or young people in their communities, or support for families with nursery, daycare, holiday or year-round programmes.
  • Health & Wellbeing Project of the Year – such as gym initiatives, sports or recreation clubs for fitness, community hubs for classes, social connection, inclusion or collaboration.
  • Housing Project of the Year – such as housing services or holistic support initiatives that provide a fresh start.
  • Support & Advice Project of the Year – such as initiatives like guided groups, mentoring, counselling or mental health services.
  • Training & Education Project of the Year – such as projects or initiatives that that provide opportunities to gain qualifications, skills or employment.
• YMCA of the Year – Recognises a YMCA that, in the last year, has had a tangible and positive impact on young people and the wider community.

Who are the judges?

Nominations are judged by a panel of industry leaders, sector partners and young people representing the diverse range of voices in the communities we serve.

The judging panel for 2026 will be announced later in the year.

How do the judges assess nominations?

Once nominations close on Monday 6 July, judges have two weeks to score each nomination based on:

• Impact: the significance of the impact or achievement
• Evidence Quality: how clearly the nominations demonstrates this impact or achievement

The four highest-scoring entries are selected as finalists and move on to the next stage: the public vote, opening Monday 10 August.