What is the mission of the Ashden Awards?

Our mission is to encourage the greater use of local sustainable energy to address climate change, alleviate poverty and improve quality of life.

What is local sustainable energy?

Local sustainable energy covers energy efficiency measures and renewable energy generated close to the point of use.

What part does local sustainable energy play in tackling climate change?

Local sustainable energy has an important role to play in both the UK and the developing world because it can reduce carbon emissions, improve quality of life, contribute to improved health and address deforestation.

Who founded the Ashden Awards and why?

Sarah Butler Sloss founded the Ashden Awards in 2001 as part of the Whitley Awards for Nature. It became a separate awards scheme in 2003 when the UK awards were added. Sarah founded the Awards to raise awareness of the often overlooked role local sustainable energy has to play in tackling both climate change and bringing social benefits in the developing world and the UK.

How are you funded?

The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Funding comes from a variety of trusts, foundations and corporations. For a full list of funders click here.

Who are your trustees?

Sarah Butler-Sloss (Executive Chair)
Adam Brett
Jessica Frankopan
Jonathon Porritt
Judith Portrait
Mark Sainsbury
Sir James Spooner
Chris Underhill

How many organisations have won an Ashden Award?

Since 2001 we have given 60 International Awards and 35 UK Awards.

How many people have benefitted from the work of your Award winners?

It is difficult to put a figure on this but a report commissioned by the UK Department for International Development in 2008 found that just ten of the Ashden Award-winning programmes were serving more than nine million beneficiaries. Read the report here.

How do I apply for an Award?

We accept applications from mid-June after the annual Awards ceremony until the autumn. Applicants submit a short Expression of Interest which is considered by the Awards team. A number of applicants are then invited to submit a full application. Click here for more information.

Can I nominate an organisation for an Award?

No, we don’t accept nominations but if you know an organisation which may be eligible please encourage them to apply.

What does it take to win an Ashden Award?

To win an Award an organisations must be running a successful programme which uses local sustainable energy to tackle climate change and bring other benefits in an enterprising way. The programme should have been up and running for at least a year, have the potential to grow and should be easy for others to replicate.

Who is on the judging panels?

We have two judging panels, one for the UK and one for the International Awards. Ashden Award judges.

What happens to the winners after they have won an Award?

All our winners come to London in June to attend the Awards ceremony and a number of related events – seminars, dinners, media interviews and the Ashden Awards Imperial Conference. We also assess what other support they might need such as business planning, funding applications, IT and media training.

Does the Ashden Awards do anything else?

As part of our ongoing support programme for current and past winners we organise seminars, attend conferences, publish reports and work with the media to achieve ongoing profile-raising for our winners.

Do you make grants?

No, we are not a grant-making organisation although we do give small grants to organisations who are unsuccessful in their application for an Award but whose work would benefit from a small amount of money to move them forward.

Are you part of the Ashden Trust?

No we are a separate organisation. The Ashden Trust was founded in 1989 by Sarah Butler Sloss and Robert Butler Sloss.

What is the Ashden Directory?

The Ashden Directory is a website bringing together the arts and the environment. One half of the Ashden Directory is a magazine with news, interviews and comment; the other half is a database with detailed information on groups or performers and their productions.

Do you work in partnership with other organisations?

Working with other organisations is an important part of the way that we work. Partner organisations deliver our support programme and enable us to support our winners in a variety of ways. To see some of our partner organisations click here.

Do you have materials I can use to promote local sustainable energy?

We have an extensive library of photographs and films along with case studies about all our winners which can be downloaded free from this website. If you want to use our photos or films please contact us first so that we can let you know who you should credit and so we can record how they are being used.