Compact Awards

Nominations have now closed for the 2012 Compact Awards, and the winners were announced during Compact Week in November 2012. Read the shortlisted entries - and winning nominations - here.

More information about the Compact Awards is below. We be adding details about the 2013 Compact Awards in the coming months.

Award winners will be chosen from those groups, individuals, organisations and activities which highlight and demonstrate the very best of Compact working. 

Why enter a nomination?

Winning a Compact Award can have a positive impact on recipients in a number of ways:

• Recognition of your work and your commitment and dedication to a Compact way of working
• Raising awareness of your local Compact and the partners signed up to it
• It can verify your knowledge of the Compact and add credibility to your work
• It can help to demonstrate your impact

Even if you do not win, entering a nomination allows you and your organisation or group to appreciate how much you've achieved in the past year.

Winners often receive local press coverage which can be a great way of developing a positive reputation for your organisation.

"Our local paper published an article entitled 'Cath Crowned Champion', which included a photo of me with Sir Bert Massie and one of our local Councillors. I received many emails and phone calls of congratulations both from organisations and friends and family who saw the article, and it also resulted in more publicity of our work in newsletters and on websites both locally and regionally. For me personally this was great but it also resulted in more people talking about the Compact and wanting to find out more."

- Cath Cook, 2010 Compact Champion of the Year

How to enter a nomination

You can nominate yourself, another individual, a local Compact group or an organisation (voluntary and community organisations and statutory bodies are eligible). If you are interested in submitting a nomination for the Compact Awards, please select which category you think is the most appropriate from the list below and download the corresponding nomination form.

It will help your nomination if you include specific examples of projects or working practices which clearly demonstrate commitment to Compact principles or examples of positive outcomes that were achieved as a result of Compact-compliant working.

Shortlisted entries will be publicised via the Compact Voice website, via Twitter and e-newsletter.

Further information – please read before submitting your nomination:

• There is a word limit of 500 words. Any text over the limit will be disregarded.
• Shortlisted entries may be edited for publication on the Compact Voice website and use in post-awards publicity.
• Nomination should be sent via e-mail to compact@compactvoice.org.uk.
• Please include all the requested contact details on the nomination form (don’t forget your Twitter address if you tweet) and a photograph.

The categories for the Compact Awards 2012 were:

Compact Leadership Award

Awarded to the person or group showing outstanding leadership which has directly led to consistent championing and support for the Compact. This may be through a formal leadership role or through recognisable leadership behaviour, and should reflect where consistent support for the Compact has improved local partnerships.

Examples of best practice in this category include:

• An individual or group embedding or supporting a range of Compact principles in their work
• Demonstrable improvements as a result of consistent and on-going championing of the Compact
• Displaying an approach which highlights tenacity, consistency, and commitment
• Recognising and promoting the spirit of a Compact way of working

Compact Innovation Award

Awarded to the group or project which has developed a new on-going approach to improving or supporting Compact working, particularly those demonstrating creative solutions to difficult situations. This could include using fresh ideas and a new approach, utilising new forms of communication or engagement (including social media), improving reach or influence through innovative means, or using Compact principles and expertise to challenge and mitigate any potentially negative consequences of non-Compact compliance.

Examples of best practice in this category are likely to include:

• Instances of where the principles of the Compact, or partnership groups working with them, have demonstrated new and on-going approaches and ways of thinking
• Developing innovative, inspiring solutions or on-going activities which can be demonstrated
  and learnt from by others
• Embedding or supporting a range of Compact principles in activities, programmes,  or partnership groups

Local Compact Partnership Award

Awarded to a group or partnership that has shown continued outstanding commitment to the Compact, with demonstrable on-going outcomes and improvements delivered and communicated for the communities in which they work.

Examples of best practice might include:

• Consistent support for partnership working, through on-going engagement, scope, responsiveness and support for the Compact and partnership groups
• Demonstration of a range of activities with different partners which have led to shared outcomes and support for the Compact
• Visible championing and support which recognises the importance of a strong, diverse and independent voluntary and community sector, effective, transparent and responsive design and delivery of policies, programmes and public services through stronger partnerships

Compact Impact Award

Awarded to the group or individual who has used the principles of the Compact to challenge, improve, or develop creative solutions to emerging issues or challenges. This award will recognise where excellence in support for the principles of the Compact has been used in specific circumstances which have directly led to improved outcomes, while still maintaining and supporting strong partnerships.

Examples of best practice might include:

• Using the principles of the Compact or local Compact groups to effectively challenge policies, programmes, or changes to financial arrangements which would otherwise have negatively affected either or both sectors
• Demonstrable examples of where the Compact has been specifically used to successfully respond or improve proposed changes to policies, programmes, services, or financial arrangements
• Instances where Compact principles around clear arrangements for managing changes to programmes and services have been effectively and demonstrably used

Compact Advancing Equality Award

Awarded to Compact partnerships, groups or activities which demonstrate an outstanding commitment to equality, through promoting services, activities, or events which help advance equality of opportunity, or actively seek to tackle and challenge discrimination.

Examples of best practice might include:

• Activities designed and delivered in partnership which are specifically targeted towards equality issues, or those protected characteristics described in the Equalities Act 2010
• Demonstrable support for the principles on equality and fairness as described in section 5 of the national Compact
• Collaboration and partnership activity which help further local actions and activities on promoting equality and fairness

Compact Engagement Award

Awarded to examples or instances of excellence in engagement using the principles of the Compact, ensuring that the design and delivery of services is based on a comprehensive understanding of community need. This may be awarded to a group or specific engagement programme, and which demonstrates exceptional effort to improve the reach and understanding of the impact of potential or emerging policies and programmes.

Examples of best practice might include:

• Consultation or engagement exercises which embed the spirit of the Compact in their design and delivery, taking into account Compact Voice’s guidance on meaningful engagement
• Demonstration of how input and engagement with consultation activities and exercises has resulted in improvements to proposed service or policy design and delivery
• Examples from communities and stakeholders affected or engaged with consultation processes who have benefited from outstanding engagement processes

Compact Chair’s Award

Awarded at the discretion of the Chair of Compact Voice to recognise excellence in Compact working. This will recognise an outstanding contribution to strengthening, supporting and improving the Compact and partnership working between the statutory and voluntary and community sector. Nominations will not be accepted for this award.

Simon Blake OBE, Compact Voice Chair (pictured)

Read more about the winners of the 2012 Compact Awards. You can also download a booklet containing all of the shortlisted nominations.