The Church Times Green Church Awards have two objectives: to celebrate the remarkable efforts made in recent years by individuals and congregations to offset the damage being done to the earth, and to set good examples before others who might be inspired to follow suit.
2024 awards
The 2024 Church Times Green Church Awards are organised jointly with the Church of England’s environment programme, the Methodist Church, the Salvation Army, and Eco Congregation Scotland. They are open to church groups and church schools of any denomination.
There are seven award categories, each with a prize of £1000:
- Green building award: projects that have significantly reduced the carbon footprint of an existing building or strengthened its climate resilience, or a new building built to high environmental standards which can be shown to have been the better option than refurbishment.
- Land and nature award: projects creating space for wildlife and encourage biodiversity.
- Congregation and community action: projects where a church, school, or other group has taken a leading part in environmental action, benefiting the wider community as well as its own.
- Green champion award: nominations are invited for an individual who has made a significant difference through their environmental efforts.
- Training and education award: projects promoting understanding about some aspect of environmental action, or destruction, and its impact, either at home or on the international community.
- Green health award: Projects making an active connection between faith, nature and health. Projects may be run by a faith organisation in association with a local health practice or charity.
- Action on a shoestring award: projects where a church, school, or other group has achieved a great deal with a little.
The panel of judges will be looking for projects that have made a positive change in the past two years in buildings, outdoors, and in the community. A building project can be nominated even if it hasn’t been completed, with as much information as possible about known and projected environmental impacts. A group can enter in one or more categories.
The deadline for entries is 30 June 2024. Details of shortlisted entries will be published in the Church Times during the summer. The awards ceremony will take place during Creationtide next autumn, venue to be announced. Photos and videos to accompany entries are encouraged.
Nominate a project for the 2024 awards here
We are pleased to announce the involvement of partner organisations and sponsors, chief among whom is Ecclesiastical Insurance.
Helen Richards, church operations director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “As a company dedicated to making a positive environmental impact, I’m delighted that Ecclesiastical is able to sponsor the Green Church Awards 2024. We’ve been protecting churches for more than 135 years, and we know that action is needed to help preserve these amazing buildings from climate change for generations to come.
“There are amazing projects and initiatives taking place in churches in communities all around the country helping to tackle climate change, and these awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate them. We’d encourage churches to submit their entries and share the work they are doing for a chance to receive £1,000 to support their work.”
Other partners include:
- A Rocha UK (Eco Church)
“Church land has enormous potential for serving God by helping restore nature, cut carbon and ministering to the local community, so we are delighted to support these awards to inspire and encourage churches to fully include their land as part of their mission” (Andy Atkins, CEO of A Rocha UK)
- Inspired Efficiency
“Inspired Efficiency have been delivering decarbonisation projects and advice to churches on how to reach Net Zero in their buildings for 13 years. We are passionate about taking climate change and know that heritage buildings are not ‘too difficult’ to achieve this but can be a leading example of how to decarbonise well within the hub a community. We are proud to be supporting The Church Times Green Church Awards and look forward to learning more from the entrants and their inspiring efforts” (Matt Fulford, Inspired Efficiency)
- Ecology Building Society
- The Conservation Foundation