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Sanctuary in Arts Awards

To celebrate the arts organisations who go above and beyond to welcome people seeking sanctuary, we have partnered with Counterpoints Arts to launch the Sanctuary in Arts Awards. 

The next application submission date is September 10th*.

The key critera for the awards are:

  • Learn: find out what it means to be seeking sanctuary; and be actively involved in awareness raising.
  • Embed: take positive action to make welcome and inclusion part of the values of your organisation or community, to support sanctuary seekers and refugees, and to include them in your activities.
  • Share your vision and achievements: let others know about the positive contribution refugees make to our society and the benefits of a welcoming culture to everyone.

To find out more, see our simple Sanctuary Award Application form and set of criteria that apply our core principles into the arts and cultural context. The form is intended to be used as a prompt for further conversations and thinking about how the gesture of becoming a place of sanctuary can be linked to a range of meaningful actions and commitments.

*where there is no local group/local lead to perform assessment 

How to apply for a Sanctuary Award

Any organisation in the UK can apply. There is no fee.

Access the key criteria and the application form to access what work you need to undertake to meet them.

Contact your local City Of Sanctuary group to express your interest and pledge your support to the City of Sanctuary Charter. The local group will then set up an appraisal team which will include an arts expert (where possible) and a person with lived experience in seeking sanctuary. This team will wish to see supporting evidence to verify the application. The application form is flexible and aimed at arts organisations and can be adapted to suit the unique nature of the organisation and its unique creativity or purpose.  It should include:

  • The actions taken to promote a culture of sanctuary within the organisation.
  • The plans to make this an ongoing and sustainable endeavour.
  • The organisation’s plans to make its services more accessible for refugees and asylum seekers.
  • The commitment of the community of the organisation (including staff in all areas e.g. artists, actors and producers, curators, patrons, audience, client representatives etc.) to promoting sanctuary at all levels of  its life.
  • The plans to take the concept of becoming an arts organisation of sanctuary to other similar organisations and partners within the world of culture and the arts.

The evidence will then be evaluated by a group which could include trustees, local and national City of Sanctuary representatives and people with lived experience. Suggestions may be made as a result of this evaluation. The award will be made at a mutually agreed public forum and displayed in a public place such as the reception or foyer. It will then be reviewed at agreed intervals.

 Contact Ashley at [email protected] with any questions.

Contact your local group and / or [email protected] for more information about Sanctuary Awards.

To celebrate the arts organisations who go above and beyond to welcome people seeking sanctuary, we have partnered with Counterpoints Arts to launch the Sanctuary in Arts Awards. 

The next application submission dates are February 10th and May 26th*.

The key critera for the awards are:

  • Learn: find out what it means to be seeking sanctuary; and be actively involved in awareness raising.
  • Embed: take positive action to make welcome and inclusion part of the values of your organisation or community, to support sanctuary seekers and refugees, and to include them in your activities.
  • Share your vision and achievements: let others know about the positive contribution refugees make to our society and the benefits of a welcoming culture to everyone.

To find out more, see our simple Sanctuary Award Application form and set of criteria that apply our core principles into the arts and cultural context. The form is intended to be used as a prompt for further conversations and thinking about how the gesture of becoming a place of sanctuary can be linked to a range of meaningful actions and commitments.

*where there is no local group/local lead to perform assessment 

How to apply for a Sanctuary Award

Any organisation in the UK can apply. There is no fee.

Access the key criteria and the application form to access what work you need to undertake to meet them.

Contact your local City Of Sanctuary group to express your interest and pledge your support to the City of Sanctuary Charter. The local group will then set up an appraisal team which will include an arts expert (where possible) and a person with lived experience in seeking sanctuary. This team will wish to see supporting evidence to verify the application. The application form is flexible and aimed at arts organisations and can be adapted to suit the unique nature of the organisation and its unique creativity or purpose.  It should include:

  • The actions taken to promote a culture of sanctuary within the organisation.
  • The plans to make this an ongoing and sustainable endeavour.
  • The organisation’s plans to make its services more accessible for refugees and asylum seekers.
  • The commitment of the community of the organisation (including staff in all areas e.g. artists, actors and producers, curators, patrons, audience, client representatives etc.) to promoting sanctuary at all levels of  its life.
  • The plans to take the concept of becoming an arts organisation of sanctuary to other similar organisations and partners within the world of culture and the arts.

The evidence will then be evaluated by a group which could include trustees, local and national City of Sanctuary representatives and people with lived experience. Suggestions may be made as a result of this evaluation. The award will be made at a mutually agreed public forum and displayed in a public place such as the reception or foyer. It will then be reviewed at agreed intervals.

 Contact Ashley at [email protected] with any questions.

Contact your local group and / or [email protected] for more information about Sanctuary Awards.