# Shortlist for National Fundraising Awards 2026 published

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/02/19/shortlist-for-national-fundraising-awards-2026-published/
- Published: 2026-02-19T09:13:19+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**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](https://ciof.org.uk/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.

![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/02/ciof-national-fundraising-awards-
2026-shortlist.jpeg)

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:

> And that’s our shortlist for the 2026 [#NationalFundraisingAwards](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NationalFundraisingAwards?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> We’re delighted to be partnering with Blackbaud as our headline sponsor, and we’re
> thrilled to introduce Josh Leigh as our host for the ceremony on 4 June 2026!Read
> about our shortlisted: [https://t.co/LPTa0jc572](https://t.co/LPTa0jc572) [pic.twitter.com/55Qe2Yvt16](https://t.co/55Qe2Yvt16)
> — Chartered Institute of Fundraising (@CIOFtweets) [February 18, 2026](https://twitter.com/CIOFtweets/status/2024152195906552051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

**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.”