[WiLT] Guardian Charity Awards - £1000 +new PC - 31st July 2009

[WiL Admin]

Welcome to the Guardian Charity Awards.

The winning charities will each be awarded:
. £1,000 prize money;
. a brand new PC, donated by Jigsaw Systems;
. a half-day consultancy support free of charge (including follow-up support for
up to six months) courtesy of NCVO's consultancy service, which gives direct
tailored support to help charities become stronger and make more of a difference
. a tailored package of media services from Media Trust, comprising a session
with a top media or communications professional through their Media Matching
service; a place at a Speedmatching event and a place at a Media Trust training
event

Introduction

Smaller charities are too often overshadowed by the big players. Even though
small is very often beautiful in terms of innovation, flexibility and reach into
communities, it's invariably the multi-million-pound household names of the
voluntary sector that grab the limelight.

The Guardian Charity Awards seek to redress that. For 17 years, they have
showcased excellence among small and medium-sized charities and given a
much-needed boost to organisations struggling to get profile and funding to
enable them to move forward. To the big players, the message is simple: you
cannot win, because you cannot enter.

The awards offer a leg-up to organisations that are delivering practical
solutions to present-day problems, especially in today's challenging economic
circumstances.

As long as the objective of your charity is improving social wellbeing in its
broadest sense in the UK, and provided other entry criteria are met, nothing is
ruled out. Will you rule yourself in?

Eligibility

The Guardian Charity Awards 2009 are open to UK social welfare charities that
can demonstrate excellence and achievement in what they do. Eligible charities
must also have been registered in the UK for more than two years and have an
annual income of between £5,000 and £1 million.

Supplementary material

No additional material should be sent with your entry initially. A limit of
three promotional items may be sent should your application be longlisted. The
Guardian and its advisers may request additional information if necessary to
meet the judges' criteria. All material is generally non-returnable.

If shortlisted, the following information will be requested:

1. Confirmation of the charity's annual income (i.e. Annual report and most
recent copy of financial accounts, as supplied to The Charity Commission).

2. A supporting statement, comprising a maximum of 500 words, to cover the
following questions:
- What you would do with the prize money?
- What winning would mean to you?

General

The panel of judges is appointed by the Guardian and all its decisions are
independent of the awards administration. The judges' decision shall be final
and the Guardian will not enter into any discussion or correspondence concerning
the results. The information contained in this document is correct at the time
of going to press. The Guardian Charity Awards 2009 and its administration
reserve the right to make any changes that subsequently become necessary.

Online Application form for the Guardian Charity Awards 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/charity-awards-2009/signup/application-form