Nominations for the 25th Pride in Medway Awards are open now and close in January 2027. Nine categories, and an April ceremony at Rochester Corn Exchange.
Nominations are open for the 2027 Pride in Medway Awards, and they close in January 2027. Anyone who lives or works in Medway can put someone forward, in nine categories, using the form at prideinmedway.co.uk/nominate.
The winners will be announced at a celebration in April 2027 at the Rochester Corn Exchange. It will be the 25th time the awards have run. Jessica Milford, of the Pride in Medway event team, sent Medway Live the categories, the dates and the photographs on this page, and asked us to help spread the word that nominations are open.
You do not have to represent anything to nominate. The organisers put it plainly on their own launch announcement: “You don’t need to be a business, an organisation or a community group to make a nomination if someone in your community has made a difference, we want to hear about them.”
The nine categories
These are the categories on the nomination form, with the organisers’ own descriptions of what each one is looking for.
- Outstanding Fundraiser. A business, organisation or individual who has made a difference through charity fundraising. The organisers say they are “not just looking for those who have raised the most money, but those who have created real, positive change in the community”.
- Community Impact. Someone who has enriched Medway, “whether by organising events, supporting those in need, volunteering their time, or helping to make Medway a better place for everyone”.
- Courage and Bravery Star. For people who “show strength, quick thinking, or bravery in everyday life without hesitation”.
- Volunteer of the Year. Outstanding dedication through “volunteering, mentoring, organising activities, or simply being there when needed”.
- Inspirational Young Person (under 18). Young people making a difference, and also those who “have shown resilience, determination, or simply kept smiling through life’s challenges”.
- Sarah Clarke Award for Commitment to Recreation, Sport, Health and Wellbeing. Created, the organisers say, “in memory of someone who believed deeply in the power of sport and recreation to change lives”.
- Kindness in Action. Individuals and organisations who promote “kindness, compassion, and empathy within their communities”.
- Environment Hero. Individuals, groups or businesses “leading community projects, protecting wildlife, reducing waste, or simply running their business in an environmentally friendly way”.
- School Community Award. Open to all primary and secondary schools in Medway, for work done alongside lessons: “school choirs performing for the elderly and charity drives to kindness projects, litter picks, volunteering, and recycling efforts”.
How to nominate, and what the form asks
The form takes the nominator’s name, telephone number and email, then the nominee’s name, contact details and Medway address, the category, and the reason for the nomination. That last box has a minimum of 300 characters, so it is worth thinking about before you start.
The organisers say the count does not decide it: “Pride in Medway 2027 focuses on the impact of the nominee’s story, not the number of nominations received.” In other words, ten people nominating the same person does not beat one person telling the story well.
Anyone who gets stuck can ring the team on 01622 684407.
How the judging works
Nominations are judged and a shortlist of finalists is drawn up. Milford told us that in 2026, 157 nominations produced 35 finalists, and that the individual category winners are judged by the sponsor attached to each award.
The scale is consistent year to year. The organisers say the awards attract around 200 nominations annually, and that the celebration itself brings about 150 people together, finalists, winners, sponsors and local stakeholders.
Who won last time
The 2026 overall winners were three boys from Halling: Dara Le Brunn-Moore, then 11, Oliver Szczes-Tindall, then 10, and Tobey Batstone, then 10. They planned and completed a 44-mile cycle from Halling to Herne Bay while studying for their 11-plus, and raised £3,670 for the Bluebell Circle CIC.
The organisers’ account of why that mattered is worth quoting. Bluebell Circle was set up in memory of Sofia Le Brunn-Healey, who died aged seven from a rare form of brain cancer. According to the organisers, the boys’ challenge “inspired friends, families and neighbours to start their own fundraising towards a £50,000 appeal that will create a magical riverside throne in Sofia’s memory and transform the surrounding area into a fun, accessible and inspiring new space for local children and young people”.
Nine category awards went to Desiree Nurse (Community Impact), Anthony Martin (Outstanding Fundraiser), Jack Charnley (Courage and Bravery Star), Steven Hawkins (Kindness in Action), Martin Peat (Environment Hero), Twydall Primary School (School Community Award), Keith Clear (Volunteer of the Year), Rose Stokes (Inspiring Youth) and Woodlands Warriors Wheelchair Rugby (Sarah Clarke Award).
A special recognition award went to representatives of the Royal Engineers, Medway Council and Kent Police, on behalf of the emergency services and members of the public involved in saving the life of Lt Col Mark Teeton after the attack near Brompton barracks in July 2024.
The 2025 overall winner was Paul Dennington of Hempstead, Gillingham, who turned a terminal prostate cancer diagnosis into a fundraising campaign. The organisers say he had raised more than £80,000 for Prostate Cancer UK since 2022, working towards a target of 25 million steps, and used the campaign to push men to get checked.
What the council leader says
Milford sent us a line from Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council: “To hear the phenomenal things that Medway people and organisations have done is a real privilege.”
He said more after the 2026 ceremony, in the organisers’ own write-up of the night: “This was another phenomenal evening at the Pride in Medway finals gala and the first to be held in the wonderful Corn Exchange in Rochester. With over 150 nominations this event once again showcased the best of Medway with amazing people and organisations doing extraordinary things that fully deserve to be recognised. It makes us all proud to call this place our home.”
Who runs the awards, and who pays for them
Pride in Medway is organised and delivered by Pillory Barn, a Kent communications agency now based in Chatham, which has been involved for all 25 years and is also a sponsor. Director Julie O’Connor said: “We’re incredibly proud to support Pride in Medway behind the scenes, helping celebrate the nominees, finalists and winners who make such a difference to our community. After 25 years, it’s a real privilege to continue supporting an awards programme that celebrates the very best of Medway.”
The 2027 sponsors listed by the organisers are Medway Council, Grain LNG, Bridgewood Manor Hotel and Spa, Uniper, Cherrywood Productions, mhs homes and Pillory Barn, with the Medway Messenger as media partner. Sponsors judge the individual categories they back, so the funding and the judging are connected, and the organisers say so openly.
Medway Live has no commercial involvement in the awards. We are covering them because the nomination window is open and readers can act on it.
What it means for you
If you know someone in Chatham, Gillingham, Rochester, Strood, Rainham or the Hoo peninsula who has spent years running a club, looking after a neighbour, clearing a green space or raising money, this is the mechanism that puts their name in front of a room of 150 people and a judging panel. It costs nothing and takes one form.
Three practical points. First, the deadline is January 2027, which sounds distant and is not: the form wants at least 300 characters of reasoning, and the good nominations are the specific ones. Second, the nominee needs a Medway address, so the person you have in mind must be local. Third, the School Community Award is open to every primary and secondary school in Medway, which makes it the easiest one for a parent or governor to use.
We will cover the shortlist and the winners when they are announced. If you are nominating someone and want their story told locally, tell us as well: hello@medwaylive.co.uk.
Sources: Pride in Medway event team, by email, 18 September 2026; Pride in Medway nomination page; award categories; 2027 launch announcement; 2026 awards report; 2026 category winners; 2025 overall winner; sponsors.
More on what is happening locally: things to do in Medway.
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