The Love Hackney Awards

This award celebrates an “unsung hero” in Hackney who has provided distinguished service and has made a significant positive impact on the local community over a sustained period (e.g. 5-10 years).

Anyone who lives or works in Hackney can be nominated.

This award recognises an outstanding social enterprise or cooperative that gives back to the local community. This is for a social enterprise that has a clear vision, excellence in impact, and that has demonstrated and promoted social enterprise beyond the social enterprise sector.

This award celebrates an individual or organisation that has delivered the best cultural activity/activities celebrating Hackney’s rich diversity and history.

This could include organising a cultural activity celebrating Black History Season, LGBTQIA+ History Month, Carnival, and more.

This award recognises an individual who has made a positive contribution to the local community, for example by organising local community events, improving facilities for the community, supporting a charity, and more.

This award recognises a local and independent business that has made considerable progress in incorporating social and environmentally conscious-practices across its business operations.

This can include businesses that proactively promote diversity and inclusion, green and sustainable practices through their services and/or operations, give back to the local community, and provide high-quality employment (e.g. fair pay, good conditions, opportunities to learn and progress).

This award recognises a local community group that has approached a local challenge with creativity and commitment or has seized the opportunity to do something different in their local area.

This could include an activity that has had a significant impact on how much it achieved or the breadth of its activities. Or getting something small but successful off the ground in an area with multiple challenges, or finding an innovative community-led solution to a longstanding issue.

This award recognises the tireless work of an individual or local community organisation to proactively tackle the climate crisis on a local level. This can include raising awareness, promoting energy efficiency, the sustainable use of resources (e.g. reuse, repair, recycle, repurpose), or undertaking initiatives to reduce the impact of their carbon footprint.

Businesses are not eligible for this award. Businesses that have incorporated green or sustainable practices can apply for the ‘Hackney Business of the Year’ award.

This award recognises a local and independent high-street business that epitomises the best that Hackney has to offer for eating and drinking, shopping, entertainment, fashion, and more.

This could include a legacy business (e.g. family-run business with a long history in Hackney), start-ups, brick & mortar, self-employed, digital agencies, a local market trader, or more.

This award acknowledges a young person’s contribution to the local community. This person has shown great initiative and has made a significant impact on their local community.

This award is for someone aged 25 years and under. If you are nominating someone who is under 18, please make sure you have a parent’s or guardian’s permission to do so.

This award celebrates an individual or organisation that has taken on a leading role to tackle social problems within the borough. This can include issues such as community safety and homelessness prevention, or creating innovative housing projects that make Hackney a better place to live in.