Involving children and young people

This category recognises community rail’s vital role in engaging, inspiring and empowering children and young people (under 26) with their railways, from travel confidence and educational schemes to youth-led volunteering and creative projects. We are especially keen to see projects that promote sustainable travel, life skills, inclusion, and wellbeing, and which draw on children and […]

Empowering Diverse Groups

This category recognises community rail activity that empowers diverse groups, for instance spanning ethnicities, ages, disabilities, genders, sexual orientation, religions or beliefs.  We are looking for approaches that have empowered wider audiences, especially bringing together different groups, and/or socially marginalised people to direct, lead or strongly inform projects or pieces of work. We’re keen to […]

Community Creative Projects & Station Arts

As a pilot/trial, this category has been re-structured for 2024 and entries will this year be grouped for judging according to the size/type of the group/organisation making the submission. This means the judges will be comparing projects more equally in terms of resources available to each group and what they achieved accordingly, Large groups- these […]

Small Projects Award (£500 or less)

This category can only be entered by station adoption or friends’ groups, community groups or community rail partnerships. It allows smaller, low-cost projects to be judged on merit, rather than competing against larger projects. Any project that cost £500 or less (excluding volunteer hours), can be submitted.  We are looking for projects that delivered great […]

Best Community Engagement Project

Community rail is all about engaging local communities. This category is no longer just about one-off community rail events, it is also about long-term engagement within communities. It aims to highlight the creativity and hard work that goes into developing, organising and promoting community engagement projects on and linked to the railway.  Entries invited from: […]

Tourism & Leisure Award

Leisure and tourism initiatives can play a vital role in supporting local economies, encouraging more people to use the train for sustainable travel, healthy days out, short breaks, and longer stays. This award celebrates innovative and effective initiatives or events that have been promoted to audiences beyond the local community. We’re looking for submissions that […]

Photo Competition | Best image capturing the essence of community rail

We want you to get creative! We want to see light-hearted, inventive images that capture the essence of community rail. These can be in any setting, as long as the connection to rail/community rail is immediately obvious. Entries invited from: We invite entries from any source, but the below requirements must be adhered to. Essential […]

Most Enhanced Railway Spaces

This category recognises the work of community rail or other community organisations to revitalise railway buildings and larger areas of railway land.  Any space which has either been brought back to useful life or significantly improved is eligible. We are looking for initiatives that have enhanced, rejuvenated, or repurposed a railway space and brought it […]

Outstanding Volunteer Contribution

This category recognises the invaluable contribution that so many volunteers make to community rail, and their stations, lines, and communities. We are especially keen to see nominations for committed individuals who make an outstanding contribution on a regular basis, or those who have gone the extra mile in the past year, impacting positively within their […]

Most Effective Communications Campaign

Effective communications are key to promoting and raising the profile of community rail activities. This category is seeking submissions that can evidence the delivery of a well-planned integrated communications campaign, aimed at publicising community rail activity or promoting success. Judges will be looking for effectively managed campaigns with evidence of PR activity and clear examples […]