Guidance for Entrants

Rules of Entry

Entry is open to any arts, cultural or heritage organisation that has charitable status (except the Sector Support Partnership Award which is open to suppliers and sector support organisations that work collaboratively with cultural organisations). Entries are encouraged from all types and sizes of organisations, regardless of scale. All entries will be judged according to the criteria outlined below.

Entry is free to members of the Association for Cultural Enterprises. Non-members will be charged £75 +VAT per entry, payable online at the time of entry (card payments only). Only one entry per organisation per category is allowed. However, you may enter as many categories as you like.

Entries close at midnight on Friday 28 November 2025. Finalists will be notified in early January 2026. Winners will be announced at the Cultural Enterprises Conference, at ICC Birmingham on 10-11 February 2026.

Judging and Criteria

Please read the full criteria as outlined on the entry form to ensure that your entry meets the requirements. You should provide clear evidence of activity and outcomes within the period April 2024  to November 2025. You can also upload up to six good quality images to support your entry.

All entries will be judged against the following broad criteria:

• Innovation – your entry must demonstrate original creative thinking which sets it apart and has clearly contributed to its success.
• Commercial success – please include evidence of success such as commercial KPIs (expressed as a % of your organisation’s overall turnover), customer testimonials, media coverage and/or industry recognition. 
• Best practice – please show how your entry recognises, promotes or supports sustainability, community engagement and/or diversity, equity and inclusion.

Each category will be judged by a panel of three independent judges with relevant expertise. Each entry will be scored against the given criteria, and the top three scores in each category will be shortlisted as finalists. The highest scoring entry will be the winner. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the Association for Cultural Enterprises in consultation with the judges.

How To Enter

1. If you are entering the Awards for the first time click on register. If you have entered before you can log in using your previous log in details.

2. Click on ‘Create Entry’ to see all the categories, and select the one you wish to enter.

3. Complete the entry form, ensuring you stay within any specified word limits and avoid using special characters or emojis. You can save your draft entry and return to it at any time.

4. When your entry is complete click on ‘submit’. You will then need to click ‘submit now’ on the next screen, or return to the dashboard to create another entry in a different category. Once you have created all your entries, go to ‘entries’ in the sidebar menu to submit them.

Members can enter for free. If you are being charged an entry fee, click on the profile icon in the top right corner, select ‘profile’ on the drop-down, and ensure you have selected ‘yes’ in the membership field to confirm you are a current member of the Association for Cultural Enterprises.

Non-members click on ‘pay now’ to submit your entry, or return to the dashboard to create another entry in a different category. Once you have finished creating all your entries click on ‘entries’ in the sidebar menu to submit and pay for all your entries in one go.

Important: Remember to review all your entries and check they have all been submitted. Please note you can still edit your entries at any time up until the closing date, even after submitting them.

If you have any other questions please contact info@culturalenterprises.org.uk