Entries now open
Following a two year hiatus over the COVID-19 pandemic, we were pleased to announce the resumption of a community awards programme in 2022 celebrating the towns, villages, projects and volunteers who keep the Borders looking so vibrant and cared for.
The Greener Gateway Community Awards were designed to offer those communities and community-led projects that take pride in their local environment the opportunity to celebrate their contribution to civic pride whilst also acknowledging their efforts to make the region more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The new programme and name is an evolution of the successful ‘Floral Gateway Competition’ awards that ran for many years and aims to better reflect the incredible variety of community projects in operation across the region.
The 2023 awards are now open. The deadline for applications is Friday 4 August 2023.
Why did we change the awards?
2022 marked a change in approach to our community gateway awards. This was done in order to make the awards more inclusive and to engage with as many community groups across the Borders as possible.
We recognise that more and more of our communities are considering the environmental impact of their local area and, as a result, community projects championing sustainability are becoming more widespread.
We took the opportunity to adapt the awards to appeal to as many people as possible, ensuring the many committed, hard-working and talented volunteers and community groups get the recognition they deserve for their efforts.
By doing this we were able to keep the core elements that made the Floral Gateway Awards so successful at the heart of the new Awards, whilst also widening their reach.
As such, some awards that will be familiar to you, including the settlement sized categories, were combined with some new awards celebrating sustainability, community food growing and biodiversity to create a broader appeal.
Entry submissions
Entries to the Greener Gateway Community Awards can be submitted online via our brand new application form. Entrants can also submit paper copy application forms if they would prefer.
Unlike the previous Floral Gateway Awards, there will be no in-person judging.
Instead, each individual group/project can provide information about their entry via the application forms and can include any supporting information, such as photographs and videos, as part of their submission.
Digital files such as images and videos can be submitted in a variety of ways, including:
- As downloads through file transfer sites (Wetransfer for example)
- On a physical drive such as a USB stick
- As a link via YouTube, Facebook, Flickr page, website or any other similar platform
The criteria for the awards can be found within the guidelines document.
Online applications can be submitted to neighbourhoodservice@scotborders.gov.uk. If you need documents in an alternative format or language, please send an email to the same address.
Physical submissions can be sent to postal address:
Greener Gateway Community Awards
Parks & Environment
Scottish Borders Council
Newtown St Boswells
TD6 0SA
Judging
Judging for the 2023 awards will take place in late summer after the submission deadline of 4 August.
Submissions will be reviewed by an external panel of judges who will refer to the specified criteria for each award.
An awards ceremony will be held in late September to celebrate all the projects and community groups who participated in this year’s Greener Gateway Community Awards. Further details of this will be shared later this summer.
Awards format
Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates will be awarded across the following categories:
- Wee Village Award (maximum population of 300)
- Small Village Award (population between 301 and 1,000)
- Large Village Award (population between 1,001 and 2,500)
- Town Award (population over 2,500)
Each submission for the above will be assessed against three criteria:
- Horticultural Achievement
- Environmental Responsibility
- Community Involvement
The other individual Award categories are:
- Border Biodiversity Award, for efforts in supporting and increasing biodiversity
- Cultivating Communities Award, for community food growing
- Sustainability Award, for demonstrating best practice in regards to sustainability
Entrants wishing to take part in these can do so on an individual award basis - for a specific project or initiative - or as part of a wider submission.
A ‘Best in Category’ Award will also be presented for each category.
Why should my community enter?
Communities find that local people take pride in their environment. This has made them:
- More aware of their surroundings
- Less likely to litter/graffiti
- Want to improve the look of their area
Taking part in the Greener Gateway Community Awards and the Floral Gateway Competition has given many communities the confidence required to go forward to take part in the Beautiful Scotland competition.
Q&A Information session
A Q&A/information session will be held on Wednesday 10 May at 6pm to allow any parties interested in applying to the Awards to hear in more detail the changes being made this year to the format, entry requirements and judging.
Feedback
This is the second year of the newly formatted Awards and we would welcome your feedback on the whole process so we can improve it for future years. Feedback can be submitted to neighbourhoodservice@scotborders.gov.uk.
Want to do more?
If your community is already proactive and wants to play its part, or your community would like to start a group making a difference on an environmental issue such as biodiversity, In Bloom, litter or dog fouling, we would like to hear from you .