The King's Award for Voluntary Service, previously known as The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, is an annual award given to groups in the

voluntary sector In relation to public services, the voluntary sector is the realm of social activity undertaken by non-governmental, not for profit organizations. This sector is also called the third sector (in contrast to the public sector and the private sec ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

Crown Dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...

. Until 2022, awardees were announced in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' on 2 June each year, the anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II. Starting in 2023, the awards have been announced on 14 November,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

's birthday. The award is equivalent to the MBE and is the highest award that can be made to a voluntary group. The award is managed by the UK

Department for Culture, Media and Sport The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It holds the responsibility for Culture of the United Kingdom, culture a ...

History

The award was announced by

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

on 30 April 2002, in celebration of her Golden Jubilee, as part of her Golden Jubilee speech to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

and

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. The first awards were made in 2003. In February 2023, it was announced by

that he wished to continue his mother's legacy by giving his name to the awards. The awards will be announced annually from 2023 on his birthday, 14 November.

Eligibility

Groups of three or more people can be nominated. The group must have been in operation for at least three years and their work must provide a specific and direct benefit to the local community.

Award

Nominations are made online and around one in three nominations are successful. Winners receive a certificate signed by the King and a domed glass crystal. The volunteer group's representatives also may be invited to attend a royal garden party by the King.

Procedure for assessment and selection

Each nomination is first appraised in the county or Crown Dependency where the group works. This appraisal is led by the Lord Lieutenant (or Lieutenant Governor in the Crown Dependencies), His Majesty's representative in the county or country, helped by a County/Country Assessment Panel of leading representatives from diverse sectors of the community. The Lord Lieutenant/Lieutenant Governor or their representatives, or both, may meet with the nominated group. A Specialist Assessment Panel of independent volunteering experts from across the UK judge nominated groups against the Award criteria, taking into account the first appraisal. The panel passes its recommendations to the Main Award Committee. The Main Award Committee advise the Cabinet Office and the Minister for Civil Society. The award is decided after the King has given his formal approval.

Recipients of The King's Award for Voluntary Service (2023 onwards)

The recipients of the inaugural King's Award for Voluntary Service were gazetted on Tuesday 14th November, 2023.

Recipients of The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (up to 2022)

, over 1,500 groups had received the award, including:

Notes

References

External links

Gov.uk websiteLondon Gazette page
{{DEFAULTSORT:King's Award for Voluntary Service, The British humanitarian and service awards Awards established in 2002 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom Volunteering awards