Living Wage Champion Awards 2024

Celebrating the people who have made an outstanding contribution to the Living Wage movement

Champion Awards 2023

Calling all Living Wage Employers – are you a Living Wage Champion?

The Living Wage Champion Awards celebrate the individuals and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to the Living Wage movement. The awards recognise the efforts of those across different sectors - from Health and Social care to Hospitality, and from those championing the Living Wage in their local areas to national businesses – it celebrates the people across our network who have created real change and gone above and beyond to champion the Living Wage and grow the movement. 

Each year we welcome submissions from our network of over 14,000 accredited businesses from which we announce a shortlist and winners at an awards ceremony in July. 

The Champion Awards are a special moment in our calendar where we come together to shine a light on the individuals and organisations behind the Living Wage movement, to share their stories and recognise their achievements. 

With 3.5 million workers still being paid below the real Living Wage and half of workers saying they are worse off than a year ago, it’s more important than ever that we inspire change by highlighting the stories of the people and the organisations across our network who are taking a stand and going the extra mile to ensure that employees earn a wage that’s enough to live with dignity. 

The entries for this year’s Champion Awards are now open. Scroll down for more information and how to apply. 

Last year’s Living Wage Champion Awards 

In 2023 the award ceremony was held at the National Football Museum in Manchester in recognition of the growth and strength of the Living Wage movement in the region. The event was hosted by BBC North West presenter Annabel Tiffin and kicked off with a speech from Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. It was a truly amazing evening and was inspiring to hear about all the incredible work being done across the country by organisations big and small to tackle the pressing issues of in-work and post-work poverty. We loved being able to celebrate and shine a spotlight on the work of so many incredible people who often go without recognition for their important work. 

Here’s what some of last year’s winners said about what the awards meant to them... 

“Winning a Living Wage Award is an absolute privilege, and it tells us we’re on the right path to changing people’s lives for the better.” - Chris Smallwood, Managing Director of Anchor Removals and winner of Advocate of the Year Award 2023 

“I couldn’t be prouder to be part of the first business in Yorkshire to receive the Living Hours accreditation and to win an award for all that hard work feels fantastic. Our team continuously goes above and beyond for us and our customers and it’s only fair that we do the same for them.”- Zixtel Ltd, winner of Living Hours Award 2023 

“Winning this award certainly is an inspiring achievement and it sets the tone for what all companies should embrace as the foundation.” - Saimah Aktaar, Apprentice at Newham Council, winner of Public Sector Award 2023 

“Winning this award means a whole lot to us. Committing to the real living wage in 2020, right in the middle of so much uncertainty for so many of us, is one of the changes we made that I am most proud of. We think it’s vital that we pay every person in our team the real Living Wage for what they do & we’d like to encourage more folks to do the same because we know it’s the right thing to do.” - Phillip Kalli, Managing Director, Fill Refill, winner of Retail and Hospitality Award 2023 

This year’s Living Wage Champion Awards ceremony will again be held outside of London in a region to be revealed soon.

Read more about the 2023 Champion Awards and winners

How do I apply for a Champion award? 

There are just three simple steps to apply for the Champion Awards: 

  1. Choose the category that best fits with the work you’ve been doing. 

  2. Gather your information. You’ll need details and evidence of the work you’ve been doing to campaign, raise awareness, or promote the real Living Wage/Living Hours/Living Pensions which goes above and beyond the requirements of your accreditation. You’ll also need a hi-res logo and a photo of your team.  

  3. Submit your application online. The application form doesn’t take long, especially if you’ve taken the time to gather your evidence together beforehand.  

Watch our application surgery

On on 31st January we ran a application surgery where we explained what we’re looking for when we’re judging entries and what a good application looks like. You can watch the recording below.

Apply for the 2024 Champion Awards online 

Please note - applications for the 2024 Champion Awards close at midnight on Friday March 22nd so ensure you apply with enough time to gather all the information you’ll need. 

We’ll announce the shortlist on our website in April and the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony this summer. 

Key dates for your diary: 

  • Submissions for the awards open - 18th January 

  • Application drop-in session (online) - 31st January 

  • Submissions Close – 22nd March 

  • Shortlist announced - early April 

  • Winners announced at the awards ceremony in July 

Good luck! 

Apply for the 2024 Champion Awards

2024 Award Categories

Advocate of the Year

We’re looking for someone who is a one person Living Wage Campaign. A person who regularly speaks out to raise awareness of the issues of in-work or post-work poverty.

Campaign of the Year

We’re looking for a campaign that results in real change.

Local Champion

We’re looking for examples of regional or Places work where the Living Wage/Hours/Pensions campaign is thriving and growing.

Health and Social Care Champion

We’re looking for Living Wage Employers in the HSC Sector who have made significant contributions to the HSC campaign in the past year.

Iconic Champion

We’re looking for a household name Living Wage Employer who has made a significant contribution and impact to the work of the Living Wage movement in the past year.

Cultural and Creative Champion

We’re looking for a Living Wage Employer in the Cultural and Creative sector who has made a significant contribution to & impact on the work of the Living Wage movement in the past year.

Hospitality Champion

We’re looking for a Living Wage Employer in the Hospitality sector who has made a significant contribution to and impact on the work of the Living Wage movement in the past year.

Industry Trailblazer

We’re looking for a Living Wage Employer who has made a significant contribution to and impact on the work of the Living Wage movement in the past year by helping to grow the number of Living Wage Employers in their sector.

Recognised Service Provider Champion

We’re looking for a Recognised Service Provider who has made a significant contribution to and impact on the work of the Living Wage movement in the past year.

Living Hours Champion

We’re looking for a Living Wage Employer who has raised awareness of the Living Hours scheme and whose work has had an impact on the number of LH accreditations in the past year.

Living Pension Champion

We’re looking for a Living Wage Employer who has raised awareness of the Living Pensions scheme and whose work has had an impact on the number of Living Pensions accreditations in the past year.

Apply for the 2024 Champion Awards