Good Relations

Awards 2025

Nominations Closed

In partnership with

Awards ceremony taking place on 25/03/2025

Award Categories

Since 2006, the Community Relations Council’s Good Relations Awards has highlighted exceptional achievement in promoting good community relations, intercultural work and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.

Previous Award winners have come from all parts of the region and worked in a wide variety of settings including women and peacebuilding, faith-based work, youth work, community development, cross community work at interfaces, and ethical remembering/commemorative work in a history of conflict.

For the 2025 Good Relations Awards, the Community Relations Council will be working in partnership with The Executive Office, NICVA, NI Youth Forum, Volunteer Now, The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, and the NI Housing Executive. There are six Awards categories. We would particularly welcome nominations from the T:BUC family of programmes.

Community Relations Council Exceptional Achievement Award (peacebuilding)

Awarded annually since 2006, this Award recognises those individuals who are instrumental in developing new pathways to peace and reconciliation, demonstrating sustained and long-term commitment to community relations work across Northern Ireland. Previous winners have influenced thinking on peacebuilding and community relations issues and they embody the values of the Community Relations Council: fairness and justice (Equity); the peaceful celebration of variety and difference (Diversity); and the importance of sharing trust and inclusion (interdependence).

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Good Relations Volunteer of the Year Award

In association with Volunteer Now, this Award aims to recognise the outstanding commitment of a volunteer who is focused and dedicated to peacebuilding, and who supports Good Relations programmes and initiatives in their local community. This Award will recognise an individual who helps to create a community that promotes mutual respect and understanding. They will have brought people together, changing attitudes and embracing difference, developing mutual respect and understanding, strengthening and enhancing the celebration of cultural expression and diversity, all as an unpaid volunteer.

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Good Relations Community Champion Award

In association with NICVA, this Award aims to recognise the long-standing, positive difference an individual has made to supporting Good Relations in their local area. This person is the driving force and leader for Good Relations in their local area, creating a community that promotes mutual respect and understanding, is strengthened by its diversity, and where cultural expression is celebrated and embraced. This person regularly goes over and above to champion the community, while also supporting others and bringing them on the good relations journey. They may be a volunteer or be employed in this work.

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Good Relations Youth Award (Under 25)

In association with NI Youth Forum, this Award aims to recognise and celebrate young people under the age of 25 who are delivering positive Good Relations work in their community. The Award can be for either: an individual; a group of young people; a school; a youth club; or a youth-focused organisation. The nominee’s peacebuilding activity will have helped to create a community that promotes mutual respect and understanding, is strengthened by its diversity, and is somewhere cultural expression is celebrated and embraced. They bring people together, helping to develop mutual respect and understanding, and enhancing the celebration and embracing of diversity.

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Good Relations Connecting Communities Project of the Year Award

In association with the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland, this Award recognises a group of local people who have formed a project or delivered an activity that brings together a community to promote mutual respect and understanding, is strengthened by its diversity, and where cultural expression is celebrated and embraced, thus benefiting others in their community. The judges would particularly encourage projects that focus on welcoming new communities or on bringing generations together, building good relations and dealing with peacebuilding issues within the community.

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Good Relations ‘Housing for All’ Award

In association with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Good Relations ‘Housing for All’ Award is a new category this year which is dedicated to recognising those involved in the Shared Housing Programme. This Award aims to showcase individuals or groups working in a voluntary capacity within their community. The award is specifically designed to recognise those who build bridges in their community, build mutual respect and understanding, break down barriers to diversity, and encourage sustainable shared places and communities as part of the Shared Housing Programme.

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How To Nominate

Within the questions please provide as much information on your nominee as possible, and then provide a short executive summary of your points. Each section must be completed — you cannot submit an incomplete nomination.

Please note you can nominate someone for multiple Awards and several groups or people in one category. The Youth Award will allow you to nominate an individual or an organisation. The Community Award focuses on a group or organisation.

The Awards panel assess entries after the closing date and successful nominees are contacted directly.

Step 1

Click on Nominate. Select the appropriate Awards Category from the descriptions.

Step 2

Complete the nomination form giving us as much information on your nominee as possible.

Step 3

Ensure you have followed all the instructions and submit your form.

Nominate Now

Latest News

GR AWARDS 2025 WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Communities across the region are celebrating as six outstanding individuals and organisations have been recognised for their dedication to transforming society through good relations work at the Good Relations Awards 2025. The Awards presentation event, held on Tuesday 25th March at Shankill Shared Women’s Centre, was co-ordinated by the Community Relations Council and designed to...