This is a one-off special award that recognises inspiring community rail initiatives delivered as part of Railway 200 celebrations and aligned with its core aim: to honour the past, enrich the present, and inspire the future of Britain’s railways.

Judges will be looking for projects and initiatives that have creatively connected communities with the railway, reflecting the four key themes of Railway 200: skills and education; innovation, technology and the environment; heritage, culture and tourism; and celebrating railway people. Entries may include events, educational activities, heritage work, or place-based storytelling that brings these themes to life in meaningful and memorable ways.

Entries in this category will be grouped for judging according to the size/type of the group/organisation making the submission. Accordingly, the judges will be comparing projects equally in terms of resources available to each group and what they achieved:

• Large groups – any CRPs that sit under an umbrella organisation
• Medium groups – any stand-alone funded CRPs, with one or two members of paid staff
• Small groups – any unfunded station adoption/friends/community groups

There will be one winner at each of these levels, with no runners up, so effectively there are 3 winners for the category, and each will come up on stage to receive a trophy and certificate.

We invite entries from community rail partnerships, station adoption or friends’ groups or other community groups and representatives. Rail industry partners can submit entries where a project was undertaken in partnership with a community rail partnership or community group, but the entry must clearly demonstrate this partnership working, be agreed with the community partner(s), and their contact details provided. Note: this type of partnership entry will automatically be judged within the large group level.

The 'Railway 200 Legacy Award' is supported by Railway 200.

• Clear demonstrable evidence of the project’s impact and its effectiveness in supporting Railway 200 by aligning with the four key themes (see below) is essential.
• Clear alignment to one or more of the four themes of Railway 200:
  • Skills and education
  • Innovations, technology and environment
  • Heritage, culture and tourism
  • Celebrating railway people
• Community engagement and reach - evidence of meaningful, creative engagement with local communities, including how the project fostered participation, inclusivity and a deeper connection to Britain’s railway story.
• Evidence of broader benefits the project has delivered for the community, such as increased wellbeing, stronger social cohesion and inclusion, local pride, or regeneration.
• Clear supporting evidence, such as participant feedback, media coverage, partnerships or other data to show the effectiveness and reach of the project. Positive promotion celebrating railway and community - clearly appreciated by passengers and local people, promoting pride, understanding and positivity, and connecting the community to the railway through Railway200 themes.

Essential requirements: 

• You must include photographs, images or clips with your entry, and where relevant, they must show/link to any artwork or finished pieces.
• You must also state clearly whether your group comes under the small, medium or large group category and you must describe the structure of your organisation to support this. Failure to provide this information will result in automatic disqualification as the judges will not be able to equally assess your entry. To allow for this, you may submit up to 750 words in the ‘Full Entry Description’.

The submission window for our 2026 Awards will be open from Monday 1 September - Tuesday 30 September 2025.

Check back then for the link to submit your entry!