FFT Awards 2026

This category is open to young people up to the age of 21. We want to celebrate young people who have shown commitment to communities, friends and family.

We are looking for:

• Young people who have worked hard to make a difference in their communities and society, such as volunteering or setting up projects for something they feel passionate about.
• Those who have overcome difficulty to achieve success.
• Young people who have shown leadership and helped support their friends or family.

This category is open to anyone who has made a significant contribution to the arts, culture or heritage. This includes dancers, actors, artists, poets, singers, musicians, photographers and more.

We are looking for:

• Those who excel at a particular skill or talent.
• A serious commitment to sustaining and growing their culture, from documenting what it means to be a Gypsy or Traveller, to reviving past traditions.
• Individuals who have celebrated Gypsy, Roma and Traveller cultures through group activities, such as creating musical groups and theatre productions.

This category is open to anyone who has done brilliantly in their chosen sports field. All sports will be reasonably considered. This category will reward those who are performing at a high level regionally or internationally, or who have achieved something brilliant locally.

We are looking for:

• Dedication – this award will be given to those that have overcome their obstacles.
• Commitment – to their community, their sport and to improving themselves.
• Results – they’re not everything in sports, but anyone with major sporting success will be recognised!

This category is open to people of all ages who have made an impact in education. This can be in their own progress, or a teacher or teaching assistant who goes above and beyond for their students. Even community members teaching a trade. As long as it’s educational, it counts!

We are looking for:

• People who promote and support education.
• People who have achieved something great in their own education – perhaps going back to school at an older age, or being the first person in a family to have gone to university.
• Anyone that’s helped the development and education of children and young people, whether academic or vocational.
• Those who have helped others perform to the best of their abilities, such as setting up a homework club or encouraging people to learn.

This award is for individuals and groups who have started a project that has had a positive impact. The focus of the project can involve anything to do with the community, from befriending schemes for the more vulnerable, to building a community room. Anything!

We are looking for:

• An individual or group of people who have made the lives of those around them better.
• An individual or group of people who have achieved something amazing.
• A project that was achieved through dedication to a particular cause, shown through passion, guts and surviving adversity.

The Alexander Award for Lifetime Achievement is awarded in honour of Susan Alexander, or ‘Alex’ as she was known to us, who sadly passed away in August 2019. The award will recognise those who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of others.

We are looking for:

• People who understand hard work and being a socially conscious and community-oriented member of society.
• A lifetime of commitment to a cause for the benefit of a community or wider society.
• Those who kept going through difficulty and made a positive contribution to better the lives of others.
• A positive role-model with outstanding, creative and visionary leadership skills.