Current Awards
BAFM Friends of the Year Award 2026
In Association with the Marsh Charitable Trust
Guidance Notes for applicants
BAFM wants to recognise the exceptional work that Friends Groups are doing through our latest BAFM Friends of the Year Award 2026. We are proud to announce their continuing partnership with The Marsh Charitable Trust who will help select the winners of the competition
- Award winners will receive £500 kindly provided by The Marsh Charitable Trust
and each shortlisted organisation will receive a Certificate of Merit. - A follow up article in the BAFM Journal will be published, promoting your group, showcasing your work, and sharing your ideas and best practice.
The Award, in association with The Marsh Charitable Trust is open to all groups of Friends affiliated to BAFM. There are several criteria applicant groups must fulfil:
- Applicants must be members of BAFM
- Friends’ Groups can apply themselves or be nominated by the museum or heritage site they support.
- Applicants can be Friends Groups of any size as it is the impact of the work that is considered, not simply the scale or number of pounds raised. Examples of work recognised by the Award have included: fundraising, engaging new audiences at the museum, Filling gaps in museum provision or service and preserving local heritage or the environment
The Award application form is available to download here:
Friends of the Year Award 2026 (docx)
Friends of the Year Award 2026 (pdf)
Applications are accepted from 1st March 2026 to 30th June 2026
You will need to send your application form, a letter of support from the museum your groups supports and one supporting document or photograph that is relevant to the application.
The Award short list will be announced in the September edition of the BAFM Journal, and the winner and runners up will be notified privately before the public announcement at the 53rd BAFM Conference and AGM in Southampton
Although applications will generally be submitted by digital means, if your group would prefer to submit by hard copy, please contact nrwspexard@outlook.com .When completing the application form be concise and to the point but make sure you give us some facts and figures and tell us why this activity is important. Together with your application form, groups must submit a letter of support written by a staff member of the museum or heritage site they support. The name and role of person writing the letter with brief details of the museum or heritage organisation should be included. Again, this letter should be clear and concise.
BAFM Newsletter of the Year Award 2026
One of the great pleasures of volunteering for BAFM is receiving the entries for the annual ‘Newsletter of the Year’. In 2026, we are slightly altering the rules of entry to reflect developments in the digital world. Usually, BAFM has requested a hard copy version of any entry to the Newsletter of the Year; this year, either hard copies or digital versions are acceptable. The cut-off date for receiving entries will be 30th June by post to:
- David Adgar FRSA
- 6 Winnery Close
- Tickhill
- Doncaster
- DN11 9JT
Digital versions need to be sent to nrwspexard@outlook.com and MUST arrive by 4pm on the 30 June.
The judging panel will consist of Richard Irvine, our Regional Coordinator for Scotland and myself.
As usual , the winning entry will receive 2 free tickets of attend the British Association of Friends of Museums, to be held in Southampton in the autumn (each ticket worth £75). In the event of a tie for the winner each of the two groups will receive one ticket each.
Criteria for judging:
I have asked recently about the criteria used to judge the individual entries to the awards. Judgement on these types of competitions can be quite subjective, but the following are always taken into account
The variety of material included in the Newsletter; does it reflect the programmes run by the group, both past and future?
Presentation: larger groups may have access to greater funds to have professional print runs despatched whilst smaller groups may have a more homespun approach. Both approaches have their merits and are considered
Mention of BAFM; we are keen for our member groups to spread information about BAFM and the benefits of being a member; we always like to see a mention of our Conferences and also any awards which a group may have earned
‘Learned articles’; the judges are always happy to see articles produced on subjects related to the site the group supports; these articles may be by members of the group or members of the staff who work at the institution supported by the members of the BAFM affiliated group
PLEASE CONSIDER ENTERING THIS AWARD IN 2026; PREVIOUS WINNERS HAVE BEEN PROUD TO BE RECOGNISED FOR THEIR EFFORTS AND THERE IS THE ADDED BONUS OF ATTENDING AN INFORMATIVE AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
Dave Adgar
Vice Chair BAFM
Details and application forms are available here:
Newsletter of the Year Award 2026 (docx) Newsletter of the Year Award 2026 (PDF)
Newsletter Award entry form (docx) Newsletter Award entry form (PDF)
Individual Volunteer of the Year Award 2026
In Association with the Marsh Charitable Trust
This year sees the introduction of a new award to be made by The British Association of Friends of Museums. We are all aware of the immense contributions made by members of our affiliated groups to the development and smooth running of their Friends Group. The Marsh Charitable Trust are especially keen to recognise the work of individuals and have agreed to award a cheque for £250 to the person deemed to have offered the most during their membership of BAFM or one of its affiliated groups. We have in mind a range of roles which could be recognised. It may be for someone who has for many years acted in an official capacity or simply someone who has provided tea/coffee and biscuits at meetings for their group. Alternatively, it may be someone who has made a significant input over a shorter period. Members may recall a few years ago when BAFM awarded an ‘Impact Award’ for groups. In a way, this new award seeks to replicate this type of award but this time for an individual.
There are three sources of recommendations for this award;
It may be that someone who volunteers directly for BAFM may be recommended by anyone associated with BAFM or its affiliated groups
A member of an affiliated group may by recommended by either another member/s
A member of a volunteering programme run by a museum with a Friends Group affiliated to BAFM (The recommendation must come from the Friends Group)
To submit a recommendation for this award, the judges will accept a simple letter of recommendation (of no more than 2 sides of A4). Please include details of the person you are nominating and why they would make worthy winners. Also complete the form which goes along with the submission
Please complete this submission either by post or digitally by 30th June 2026
- David Adgar ,
- 6 Winnery Close
- Tickhill
- Doncaster
- DN11 9JT
Or digitally nrewspexard@outlook.com
Details and application forms are available here:
Individual Volunteer Award.docx Individual Volunteer Award (PDF)
Individual Volunteer Award entry form.docx. Individual Volunteer Award entry form (PDF)