The British Judo Association will be celebrating our 11th British Judo Awards on Saturday 11th November 2017. What better way to show your club volunteers and your athletes that you value them by nominating them for an award.

 Nominations for the awards open today (Monday 15th May) and will close on Monday 3rd July so be quick to avoid missing out!

The Awards Evening will take place at the East Midlands Conference Centres on Saturday 11th November 2017.

Over 40,000 people across the United Kingdom help make British Judo what it is by volunteering their time to run and support clubs, competitions and Area Committees throughout the year.  Without them, British Judo would not be what it is today and members would not be able to participate in the sport that we all love. It is now that time of the year again for us to recognise and reward these deserving individuals.

Who is eligible for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

If you know someone who gives up their time free of charge to support our sport, then they are eligible. We are looking for volunteers from mat layers, money collectors, sticker monitors, welfare officers, coaches and more.  Every club has at least one person who volunteers their time – whether it’s every week or occasionally – we understand that time is precious and we would like to recognise all their efforts.

Event volunteers from the Organisers, Referees, Officials, Examiners and general event staff, are eligible too.  BJA-licensed events take place almost every weekend throughout the year and couldn’t possibly run without our volunteers.

And let’s not forget our young volunteers: Junior Referees, Technical Officials and any enthusiastic and inspirational individual who volunteers in any capacity within your club or for the sport of judo is eligible.

Finally, we are accepting nominations for clubs.  To be eligible for an award, the club must be actively engaging with the Association and relevant development programmes.

Who can nominate someone for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

Anyone can nominate a volunteer or club for an award and as always we want to actively encourage our members and those closest to them to nominate the individuals who make a difference to their sporting experience.

Why nominate someone for a British Judo Volunteer Award?

On average, we receive around 300 nominations each year so, as much as we would like to, it is simply not feasible for the association to present awards to all your deserving nominees.

Unfortunately, this makes people think, “if my nominee’s not going to win, why bother?” The answer is simple. Not all our volunteers will collect an award but everyone nominated will receive a thank you card advising who nominated them and why they deserve to be recognised. For many of our volunteers, knowing that their efforts are appreciated by those who benefit from their time is reward enough.

After the nominations close what happens next?

Once the nomination period closes, every nomination will be reviewed and categorised.  Each category will then be discussed by British Judo’s Reward and Recognition Panel and the finalists will be selected.  Finalists will be invited to attend the 2017 British Judo Awards where they will be invited on stage to collect their award.

Due to popular demand, this year we have expanded our awards categories to now include:

• Community Club of the Year (NEW AWARD) – Club which works tirelessly to engage grassroots members and offer new opportunities in their community.
• Performance Club of the Year (NEW AWARD) – Club which delivers a consistently high standard of training opportunities and develops a culture of medal-winning athletes.
• Community Coach of the Year (NEW AWARD) – Coach who works tirelessly to engage grassroots members and offer new opportunities in their community.
• Talent Coach of the Year (NEW AWARD) – Coach who delivers a consistently high standard of training opportunities and develops a culture of medal-winning athletes.
• 2017 KATA Award (NEW AWARD) – Eligible for any individual, club or programme contributing to the growth of, and support for, the art of Kata within the UK.
• Club Volunteer of the Year – An individual who goes above and beyond to support the running and growth of their club.
• Club Welfare Officer of the Year – An individual who has been exceptional within the role of Club Welfare Officer within the past year.
• Event Volunteer of the Year – An individual who commits a great deal of their time at events and competitions (national, regional or local) and ensures they are run to a high standard.
• Official of the Year – An individual who has been a exemplary technical official throughout the last year.
• Referee of the Year – An individual who has been a exemplary technical official throughout the last year.
• Volunteer of the Year – An individual who has been truly outstanding as a volunteer in their club, at local competitions and/or at national events.
• Young Referee of the Year – A young individual who has been a exemplary technical official throughout the last year.
• Young Volunteer of the Year – A young individual who has been truly outstanding as a volunteer in their club, at local competitions and/or at national events.

To make a nomination for the awards, please click here

Nominations close on Monday 3^rd July 2017. Finalists will be announced on Monday 7^th August 2017.

Please note that some changes may occur once this year’s nominations have been categorised. The Reward and Recognition Panel base their decisions not on the number of nominations submitted for one individual but on the quality of the nomination submitted.  By the time nominations reach the Panel, all identifying information has been removed. This is to ensure that decisions are made based on the nominations solely and not on people’s knowledge of an individual. 

Tickets for the 2017 British Judo Awards will go on sale from Monday 14^th August 2017.