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Find out who can nominate a volunteer group for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and which groups can be nominated. Also, download a nomination form and find out what you need to do to fill it in.
Any member of the public can nominate a volunteer group working in the local community, even if you benefit from its work.
You can't nominate a volunteer group if you are:
You can nominate any group of two or more people in the UK doing volunteering work that provides a specific benefit to a local area for three or more years. Their volunteering work can include support to people overseas.
Activities don’t only have to provide direct benefits to the local community, like running a youth club. They can also provide indirect benefits, like protecting the environment. A volunteer group’s work must involve more than just fundraising.
Although the group must also have been volunteering for three years or more, an organisation doing a short term project could be considered for nomination.
The majority of the group must be volunteers, and more than half the volunteers must have the right to live in the UK.
You can nominate a group at any time. Usually a nominated group will be considered for the award in the year following your nomination.
If you wish to make sure your group is considered for an award in the following year, your nomination must be received by 30 September.
Nominations may be considered at any point over a three-year period. During this time you may be contacted to provide up-to-date information about the group.
If a group isn’t successful in the three years after being nominated, it won’t be considered for the award. A fresh nomination can then be made.
Details of the nominations for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service are kept private by the administrators and the local assessment panels. The panels may visit nominated groups in their areas.
Winning groups have to agree to keep details of the award private before the official announcement is made.
Find out who the latest and previous winners of the award are and read case studies about their work by following the link below.
You can download the nomination form and guidance notes by following the link below.
Also, you can write or telephone the administrator of the award and ask for a paper version of the nomination form and guidance to be sent to you. Find out the administrator’s contact details by following the link below.
You’ll need to fill in the nomination form and get statements from two supporters who have detailed knowledge of the volunteering group.
One of the supporters can be:
If one of the supporters falls into any of the above categories, the other must be completely independent of the group.
You must return the nomination form by post or fax to the administrator of the award. You can’t send the nomination form by email because you need to sign the form.
