Oxford Climate Awards 2026 close this weekend

Organisers are calling on residents to help shine a light on the people, organisations, and groups making a real difference in the fight against climate change in Oxfordshire.

Andrew Colley, regional editor for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times, said: “Could the 2026 Oxford Climate Awards be third time lucky for local community groups, individuals and businesses?

“Oxford is a forerunner in the fight for a brighter future and leads the way in climate initiatives and we want to do more to celebrate the incredible things going on across our city.”

The awards, now in their third year, will take place at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday, October 15, and will recognise outstanding contributions to sustainability and environmental action across a range of categories.

These include Sustainable Small Business of the Year Award, Green Transport Award, Biodiversity and Ecology Award, Climate Community Group Award, and Youth Climate Action Champion.

This year introduces two new honours: the Retrofit Champion Award and Sustainable School of the Year, which combines the former primary and secondary school categories.

The original deadline for entries was Sunday, August 9, but this was extended to Sunday, August 16.

Entry forms are available at https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/climate-awards/

The black-tie ceremony will celebrate the achievements of all nominees and announce winners in each category.

Last year’s overall winner was Oxford Food Hub, a volunteer-driven organisation that redistributes surplus food to more than 230 charities and groups across Oxfordshire.

In the first nine months of 2024/25, the hub redistributed 460 tonnes of food, surpassing its total for the previous year.

Anna Railton, deputy leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for zero carbon Oxford, praised the hub’s impact during last year’s ceremony.

Ms Railton said: “You will struggle to find anybody in this city who has not interacted with these guys.”

Marcelo Pollack, operations manager at Oxford Food Hub, said the award was a meaningful endorsement of their work.

Mr Pollack said: “It’s just a wonderful recognition of the work.

“We are very engaged with the Oxfordshire community.

“You will struggle to meet anyone who hasn’t interacted with us.

“Working with over 235 charities, we cover most of Oxfordshire helping all sorts of charities and community groups and using food as a way of building community resilience.

“Food is the metaphorical glue that brings communities together, it’s not just about food poverty.

“It’s a wonderful tool to strengthen communities in what are very difficult times.”

The Oxford Climate Awards continue to inspire and highlight those taking action for a greener future.