William Sutton Prize open for applications with £20k grants available
Melanie May | 31 July 2020 | News
Clarion Housing Group has opened applications for the third year of The William Sutton Prize.
The William Sutton Prize is open to individuals or organisations presenting an innovative concept, product or service that will have a positive social impact on a community. This can include projects or ideas developed during the coronavirus outbreak with potential for long-term impact, with the Prize’s criteria updated to reflect this.
There are two categories:
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The William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation will be awarded to an individual or organisation that has developed a product, concept or service that will make a positive social impact on disadvantaged groups or communities. This could include those keen to build on a service or project that was trialled successfully during the coronavirus outbreak.
The William Sutton Prize for Placemaking and Affordable Housing Design will be awarded to an individual or organisation that has developed a design concept that will improve the quality of life and support the wellbeing of residents and communities. The criteria has been updated to recognise new thinking around community spaces, the renewed sense of community spirit and the role and impact of community spaces post-lockdown.
Applications have opened later this year due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, and will close at midday on 30 September.
There is a prize fund of up to £20,000 on offer for each of the two categories, with the funding provided by Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group. The winning entries will be determined by a panel of industry experts led by Clare Miller, Group Chief Executive of Clarion, and including Peter Holbrook CBE, CEO of Social Enterprise UK.
In 2019, Fat Macy’s received The William Sutton Prize for Social Innovation for its proposal to expand its supper clubs and catering events which help get young Londoners off the streets and into their own homes whilst providing work experience.
Meg Doherty, Founder of Fat Macy’s, said:
“Winning The William Sutton Prize was an amazing experience and created such a boost for our team. It’s the first award we’ve won and since then things have changed so much.
“We’ve hired a new staff member who’s already making fantastic changes to our ways of working and helping us support even more young people. Whilst we haven’t yet been able to open our restaurant and micro hostel due to the pandemic, we have a lot of exciting plans in the pipeline which is all thanks to the support we’ve received from Clarion. I’d really encourage anyone with an idea, no matter how big or small, to apply.”
Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, said:
“Whilst the coronavirus outbreak has seen our lives change in ways we could never have imagined, there have been some positive outcomes, as it has brought communities closer together and encouraged organisations to find creative solutions to challenges faced. We hope to see some of these amongst the entries for this year’s William Sutton Prize and look forward to continuing our support for talented and passionate architects, designers and social entrepreneurs.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.