Annual Conference 2024 - Awards

Our Awards celebrate exceptional people, teams and projects from across our local service and Witness Service volunteers.

Nominations are now closed and this year the winners will be announced as part of our Celebration Hour on Tuesday 16 April during our 2024 Conference, taking place in the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham. This will also be an opportunity to come together, reflect on all our achievements and say thank you to everyone for everything you’ve done this year.

There are 9 Award categories for 2024.

Award categories 

Volunteer team of the year

A volunteer team or group of volunteers (including volunteer managers) who have made an outstanding contribution to their local Citizens Advice/Witness Service.

Most influential campaign or research project

A local Citizens Advice/Witness Service project or campaign which has led to significant changes for the people who come to us for help. 

Most outstanding impact

A local Citizens Advice/Witness Service team or project that can demonstrate having an outstanding positive impact on a client or community.

Team of the year

A team that has made a significant contribution to their local Citizens Advice/Witness Service and community.

Unsung heroes

A team or group of people whose outstanding commitment and hard work is essential to our service but who aren’t always recognised for what they do.

This could be administrative staff/volunteers; fundraising staff/volunteers; local trustees; or anyone who is ‘behind the scenes’ but whose role is vital to our service.

Innovation of the year

A service that has developed or led an innovation resulting in an improvement in the experience people have when they come to us for help. 

Championing wellbeing

A local Citizens Advice/Witness Service that has gone over and above to care for people. This could relate to improving environmental, physical, mental or social factors for clients, colleagues, volunteers or the community.

Championing equity, diversity and inclusion

A local Citizens Advice/Witness Service that has shown an outstanding effort to provide an equitable and inclusive service for all clients, colleagues and volunteers.

Best partnership working

A project or piece of work that showcases local Citizens Advice/Witness Service and/or partners working together.

How does the judging panel decide on the shortlist and winners?

The judging panel for the 2024 Awards will be made up predominantly of representatives from across our local service. The panel will come together to discuss and all agree on a shortlist and the winners for each category. If the judging panel can’t all agree, then it goes to a vote, with facilitation carried out by an independent member of the Conference organising group.

Following feedback, this year the judging panel will be able to re-categorise nominations if they think they’d be better suited to a different category. If this happens we will notify the person who made the nomination of this after the judging panel has met.

The judging panel will consist of:

• An external representative

• Up to 5 local Citizens Advice representatives, geographically diverse from various roles, who were shortlisted or won awards in the past

• A national trustee

• A subject matter expert for some categories

Timeline

Tuesday 16 January — Nominations open

Monday 19 February — Nominations close

Monday 4 March — Voting opens

Wednesday 13 March — Voting closes

Tuesday 16 April — Winners announced at Celebration Hour during Conference 2024 in the East Side Rooms, Birmingham

Questions

If you have any questions, please email events.team@citizensadvice.org.uk