Park Protector Awards 2022 now open - nominate your National Park hero today

We need your help to recognise and reward the people, teams and projects that really make a difference in our National Parks.

We've once again teamed up with BBC Countryfile Magazine and others to bring you our Park Protector Awards, with some top prizes up for grabs and winners to be revealed at a ceremony in Westminster in July.

The awards, which are now open for nominations, recognise and reward the work underway to protect and improve National Parks in England and Wales for People, Nature and Climate - our theme for the year. From rangers, farmers and nature recovery projects, to visitor centre volunteers, fundraisers and campaigns, we've seen first hand the brilliant work underway to protect and improve National Parks and want the nation to recognise it too.

Inspired by our National Parks: New Perspectives bursaries (see below), we have added a third New Perspectives Award to celebrate the work of those people and groups who help amplify the voices of those less heard in National Parks. 

The categories are: 

• Main Park Protector Award - £1,000 prize (sponsored by WWF-UK) 
• Volunteer of the Year (People's Choice) - £500 holiday voucher + subscription to BBC Countryfile Magazine (sponsored by Original Cottages) 
• New Perspectives Award - £1,000 prize 

Campaign for National Parks Chief Executive Dr Rose O'Neill said: "With these awards, we will showcase the brilliant work in National Parks and the amazing people behind it, and show why it's crucial that both the Westminster and the Welsh Governments bring forward new powers and investment to scale up the work and secure the future of these vital assets." 

Nominations are now open and must be submitted via our website by Sunday 19 June 2022. See our website for full details and to make a nomination.

P.S. Please help us expand our National Parks: New Perspectives bursaries scheme

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Big Give appeal to fund our first 10 National Parks: New Perspectives bursaries. The young storytellers are well underway with their projects and we'll be sharing them with you later this year.

We were pleased to cover most of the National Parks in England and Wales with these 10 stories, but we really want to cover all of them. That's why we're taking part in the Aviva Community Fund crowdfunder to raise £3,000 for three more bursaries: in The Broads, Pembrokeshire Coast and New Forest National Parks. Find out more here and please donate if you can! Thank you.