National Park Protector Awards

Recognising and rewarding the people who protect National Parks in England and Wales – National Park Protector Awards are back.

Campaign for National Parks has launched its search for individuals and groups who are working for a future where nature and people can thrive in our National Parks.

The awards recognise and reward the work underway to protect and improve National Parks in England and Wales for people, nature and climate. This year, they’re even bigger as 2024 marks the 75^th anniversary of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.

Chief Executive Dr Rose O’Neill: “Our amazing National Parks inspire thousands of people across England and Wales to get out, give back and take action. Our National Park Protector Awards are our way of celebrating and recognising the people who work hard to make our National Parks wilder, inclusive for all to enjoy and safeguard their natural beauty for future generations.”

The awards are:

• National Park Nature Award – Winner’s prize: £1,000, a goodie bag and 1 year membership to Campaign for National Parks
• New Perspectives Award – Winner’s prize: £1,000, a goodie bag and 1 year membership to Campaign for National Parks (sponsored by Natural England)
• Young Changemaker of the year Award – Winner’s prize: £500, a goodie bag and 1 year membership to Campaign for National Parks (sponsored by Sawday’s)

We’re also pleased to be partnering with Country Living Magazine for the 2024 Awards.

Last year’s winners 2023 winners included the South West Peatland Partnership, a landscape scale recovery project in Exmoor and Dartmoor, a community nature recovery project in the Broads lead by Nick Sanderson, Sameed Asghar the founder of a mountain leader group and the creator of a campaign to end water pollution in the Lake District – Matt Staniek, Save Windermere.

The winners received their awards at a prestigious ceremony in the Houses of Parliament on 12 July 2023, attended by MPs and Lords, National Park Authority Chief Executives and leading civil servants as well as National Park ambassadors and influencers, funders and all the shortlisted nominees.

Rose added: “The awards inspire and allow us to imagine a future of nature-rich National Parks for everyone: a future that’s clearly possible. Together, we know what we need to do to protect these special places, we just need to right powers and resources in place to deliver at scale.”

Nominations open Thursday 4 April 2024 and close on Sunday 5 May 2024. A public vote for the Changemaker of the Year will follow from 3-14 June and shortlisting by an expert judging panel. The winners will be revealed in an awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament on 3 July 2024.

As well as being CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire we represent the Campaign for National Parks in the Peak District National Park. In our dealings with the Peak District National Park Authority in this specific role we are known as Friends of the Peak District.

To find out more, or make a nomination, please visit: https://www.cnp.org.uk/national-park-protector-awards