Samantha Womack announces last chance to nominate for the National Lottery Awards

The National Lottery Awards are the annual celebration of the ordinary individuals and organisations who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

More than 1,300 inspirational people and projects were nominated for last year’s National Lottery Awards, and now the hunt is on once again for 2023’s nominees.

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.

Anyone who has received National Lottery funding is eligible for nomination.

In recent years, communities throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland have experienced more change than most generations have ever lived through, and it’s all had a huge impact on our daily lives. Samantha Womack believes the 2023 National Lottery Awards play an even more important role this year in acknowledging and thanking people and projects throughout the UK for all their sterling efforts.

Samantha, 50, who shot to fame as the UK’s 1991 Eurovision entrant before starring as Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders, is urging the public to get their nominations in before the window closes on Wednesday 16th May.

Following her own personal experiences with mental health and breast cancer recovery, Womack is a passionate advocate of the power of good causes projects in supporting communities up and down the country and knows only too well how charities can support people who are often at their most vulnerable.

Samantha said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised for good causes around the UK every single week. There are so many inspirational people and projects who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities and the National Lottery Awards are our chance to thank them for their incredible acts of kindness. These community champions deserve to be celebrated and acknowledged, so please get your nominations in.”

The National Lottery Awards will honour unsung heroes 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 celebrate an outstanding individual whose selfless dedication has improved the lives of the people around them in challenging times.

Winners of these categories will be decided by a judging panel made up of members from The National Lottery family and partners and will win a £5,000 cash prize as well as a coveted 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.