Shortlist for National Fundraising Awards 2026 published
Howard Lake | 19 February 2026 | News
The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has announced the shortlisted nominees for this year’s National Fundraising Awards. Individuals, teams and organisations have made it to the final stage of the nationwide search for the best in fundraising.
The winners of the 2026 National Fundraising Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday 4 June at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London.
They have been shortlisted by the volunteer group of judges as representing best practice and excellence in fundraising in one of a variety of categories.
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The awards recognise fundraising best practice and excellence, providing a platform to showcase fundraisers and their vital contributions to the sector.
The categories and nominees are:
Fundraising Campaign of the year (category is sponsored by SOFII)
- Overcooked Live: Make-A-Wish UK and Arena Media UK
- Calvert Exmoor Emergency Appeal: Calvert Devon
- Save Aberdeen Arts Centre: Castlegate Arts Ltd
Newcomer of the year (category is sponsored by hynt studio)
- Shanty Neale, ScoutsCymru
- Rachel Roland-Whipps, London Youth Choirs
Best Supplier to the Fundraising Sector of the year
- Parker Bay Consultancy
- Give A Little
- Farewill
Volunteer Fundraiser of the year
- John Symmonds, Thames Hospice
- Childline Board, NSPCC
- Brian Abram, Back Up Trust and the Spinal Injuries Association
Legacy and In-Memory Campaign of the year
- This is Hospice Care: Hospice UK
- You Could Do Wonders: NSPCC X Octopus Legacy
- Stay in the Fight: Oxfam GB
Charity-Business Relationship of the year
- Barnardo’s And Co-op
- Social Bite and Mitchells & Butlers
- Crisis and Specsavers
Young Fundraiser of the year (15 years or under)
- Charlie Blackwell, MQ Mental Health Research
- Kooko Kwei, Ty Hafan
- Ruby Sheffield, Royal British Legion
Fundraising Charity of the year (small)
- Arrive Alive
- Purple Heart Wishes
- Bright Futures UK
Fundraising Charity of the year (large)
- Hospice UK
- Prostate Cancer Research
- SolarAid
Fundraiser of the year (sponsored by Conference Care)
- Rachel Tysh, Campaign Against Living Miserably
- Charlotte Thiboutot, Dogs Trust
- Lauren Hunt, Pancreatic Cancer UK
Host for 2026
The host for this year’s Awards ceremony is a fundraiser himself, Josh Leigh:
Katie Docherty, Chief Executive Officer at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, said:
“We cannot wait to celebrate the achievements of some of the most impactful fundraisers and campaigns in the sector. We had some outstanding entries this year – 131 in total and believe me it was not an easy task for the judging panel to narrow them down to our shortlisted nominees.
“I’m delighted that the National Fundraising Awards are returning to the QEII Centre for the third year in a row – the past two years have been so much fun and I’m really looking forward to welcoming our nominees to this year’s ceremony in June.”
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.