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The nomination window for the 2026 Live Here Love Here Community Awards is closing, with applications only accepted until this Sunday 26 October. The annual awards celebrate the dedication of community and voluntary groups across the north who work tirelessly to tackle environmental challenges and inspire civic pride.
This year's awards ceremony will take place on 19 February 2026 at Belfast City Hall, hosted once again by broadcaster Joe Mahon. Live Here Love Here is a partnership campaign funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, ten local councils including Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and the Housing Executive. The campaign is managed by charity Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.
The awards spotlight the power of community-led action and recognise groups in four main categories: the Regional Champions Award, the Bright Future Award, the Community Together Award (sponsored by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive), and the Lasting Contribution Award. All nominees must be volunteer-led community groups involved in environmental action and have a history of engaging with Live Here Love Here initiatives such as Adopt A Spot or the Small Grants Scheme.
Earlier this month, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful released its annual Cleaner Neighbourhoods Report, which provides a snapshot of local environmental quality across all eleven council areas. The report revealed that 19% of surveyed areas failed to meet acceptable standards of cleanliness, with confectionery, cigarette litter, drinks-related litter and takeaway packaging among the most common items. While some types of litter have decreased, levels remain too high, underlining the importance of community groups in helping to keep their neighbourhoods clean and resilient.
With litter continuing to pose a challenge, the findings also serve as a reminder of the wider environmental pressures facing local communities, including loss of biodiversity, declining pollinator habitats, reduced access to quality green spaces, and the impacts of climate change on local environments. Across Northern Ireland, community groups are responding in creative ways: planting native species, revitalising shared spaces, restoring wildlife areas, and developing inclusive outdoor learning and wellbeing projects that help people reconnect with nature.
Lynda Surgenor, Manager of Live Here Love Here, encouraged local groups to step forward this year. "These awards celebrate the everyday acts of care that transform our neighbourhoods into cleaner, greener, and more connected places. The latest Cleaner Neighbourhoods Report makes it clear that issues such as litter and graffiti remain a real challenge across Northern Ireland. But we also know that community action goes far beyond tidying up - it's about restoring habitats, creating shared spaces, improving wellbeing, and ultimately, making a lasting, positive difference for local communities," she said.
She added that it should not fall to volunteers to keep communities clean and vibrant, yet time and again local groups step up and take pride in where they live. "We owe them enormous thanks, and the awards are our chance to spotlight their efforts and the lasting impact they make. Last year's winners from the Newry, Mourne and Down region showed just how powerful community-led action can be, and now we want to hear from others who are making a real difference," she said.
At last year's ceremony, twelve awards were presented to outstanding groups across Northern Ireland. Newcastle-based Unit T received the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Regional Champions Award for its work reducing isolation and promoting health and wellbeing through clean-ups, recycling, community lunches, and the Newcastle Community Fridge. Downpatrick's Crossgar Community Village Greens were runners-up for their efforts to improve the local village through planting flowers, installing picnic tables, and securing funding for a riverside project.
The 2026 winners will be announced on 19 February at Belfast City Hall, with an evening of celebration, inspiring talks, and entertainment provided by community groups. Nominations can be submitted now at liveherelovehere.org until Sunday October 26.
