Curious Minds

The Northern Cultural Education Awards 2024

Celebrating arts, culture and creativity for young people, in and out of school

We are incredibly excited to be inviting nominations for The Northern Cultural Education Awards 2024.

This awards series aims to shine a light on best practice, innovation and activism in the field of creative and cultural education, wherever it is happening across Northern England. It will culminate in an Awards Ceremony and networking event on Friday 24th May 2024 at The Edge Arena in Wigan.

It’s FREE to nominate!

You can nominate yourself or others for an award, across 7 categories. The deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 3rd March 2024.

The Award Categories

There are 7 different award categories, listed below, with lots more information about the nomination process provided on our website and in this Guidance for Applicants document.

• The Award for Innovation & Leadership in Education will celebrate a trailblazing education setting that has embedded arts, creativity and culture to deliver transformational outcomes for pupils, staff and/or community.
• The Award for Inspirational Local Partnership will recognise a group of organisations that has worked collectively to improve access to arts, culture and creativity for the children and young people in their local area.
• The Hearts & Minds Award will recognise a project or programme that can evidence positive impact on children and young people's health and wellbeing through innovative and targeted arts, creative or cultural activity.
• It’s not just about the adults! The Young Arts Activism Award will celebrate a group of young people (the majority of whom are aged under 21) or an individual, that has led creative action to drive a difference in the world around them.
• Focusing on the next generation of leaders in cultural education, The One to Watch Award will recognise someone taking their first steps into a career that champions high-quality arts and culture for children and young people.
• The Grassroots Award is all about appreciating the professionalism, skill and commitment that exists with the army of freelance and grassroots creatives on which our sector relies. Depending on the number of nominations received, we hope to split entries into the following subcategories and hand out two awards: (1) Fearless Freelancer – an individual committed to working creatively with children and young people despite the socio-economic challenges inherent in a freelance career, and (2) Small but Mighty – a small grassroots organisation, whose work within the community it serves has contributed to the cultural and creative life of children and families.
• Finally, The Changemaker Award recipient will be chosen by Curious Mind’s Chair and CEO. This person's vision and outstanding contribution will have raised the bar, pioneered new and inclusive practice, improved the conditions for the workforce - or all three. Their influence and work will be easily recognised as an important part of our sector’s story.

Learn more and complete the nomination forms here.

The Awards Ceremony & Wonderland

Join us for an exciting afternoon celebrating all things cultural education

The Northern Cultural Education Awards Ceremony is for everyone, regardless of whether you’ve been nominated this year!  We want to bring people together to celebrate the incredible, passionate people – teachers, artists and creative practitioners, youth and social workers, health and wellbeing specialists and community volunteers – who are working so hard for children and young people.

The ceremony will take place on the afternoon of Friday 24th May at The Edge Arena in Wigan. It will include plenty of opportunities to reconnect or build your networks, as well as Wonderland – an inspiring cultural marketplace for creative educators. Don’t miss out!

Secure your spot at the event here.