The hunt is on for the UK's favourite community heroes as the 2023 National Lottery Awards begins

The National Lottery awarded more than £1.12 billion of funding to good causes all over the UK in 2021/22 according to new figures released today to mark the launch of the 2023 National Lottery Awards.

A total of 27,051 National Lottery grants were allocated in this period, providing crucial support to arts, sports, heritage and community organisations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The National Lottery Awards are the annual celebration of the ordinary people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding and attracted more than 1,300 entrants last year.

Again, this year, The National Lottery is looking to highlight the exceptional work of local heroes who have gone the extra mile to make a difference in their communities, especially during these challenging times.

Any person or group who has received National Lottery funding is eligible for nomination.

Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, said: “Since it was established in 1994, The National Lottery has continued to make a remarkable contribution to life in the UK.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, an incredible £47 billion has been raised for good causes, with £30 million supporting people and projects around the UK every single week.

“The National Lottery Awards seek to honour those who have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the people around them. In difficult circumstances, this selfless dedication has never been more important, and we want to thank them and celebrate their incredible efforts.”

The National Lottery Awards will recognise outstanding individuals in the following categories:

• Community & Charity

• Arts, Culture & Film

• Sport

• Heritage

• Environment

• Young Hero (Under 25s)

There will also be a Special Achievement Award to mark the accomplishments of an exceptional individual who has gone above and beyond to make the lives of people that little bit better in their local community.

Individual winners will be chosen by a judging panel made up of members from The National Lottery family and partners and will win a £5,000 cash prize and an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy.

In addition, any projects that have benefitted from National Lottery funding are eligible to enter the Project of the Year category.

These nominees will be whittled down to 16 finalists, with a UK-wide public vote in September deciding the winner.

To make your nomination for this year’s National Lottery Awards, tweet @LottoGoodCauses using the hashtag #NLAwards with your suggestions or complete an entry form through our website: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. Entries must be received by midday on 16 May 2023.