Empty Homes Network

To mark the start of Empty Homes Week 2024, and in support of Action on Empty Homes’ national campaign, the Empty Homes Network are pleased to announce the EHN Awards for 2024 are now open for submissions.

To be presented at our National Conference in Birmingham on the 22nd May, the EHN Awards celebrate the work and successes of empty homes practitioners, local authorities and organisations across the country, involved in returning empty homes back into use. Our annual awards serve as a reminder of the continued efforts carried out to reduce the number of empty homes across the country, and enable practitioners, local authorities and organisations the opportunity to promote their achievements and achieve national recognition.

Across six categories, there are a variety of opportunities for individuals, councils and organisations to showcase their efforts, promote their successes and achievements locally, and to cement their position as an area of work that makes a significant difference to local communities.

The Empty Homes Network welcomes submissions and nominations for all categories, and strongly encourages those practitioners who work alone, to nominate themselves and highlight their personal achievements in what is often a challenging and isolating role.

Our Award Categories and Sponsors

Empty Homes Practitioner of The Year - Sponsored by No Use Empty: Kent

Recognising an individual’s outstanding achievements over the past 12 months, we'd like to know why the nominated person deserves the award and are interested in any of the following attributes: Innovation - Dedication – Organisation...and/or any other quality or achievement that you think deserves recognition.

We recognise that Empty Homes Practitioners often work alone or within teams of wider specialisms, so we strongly encourage all practitioners to nominate themselves should they feel their achievements over the past 12 months are worthy of national recognition.

The Rising Star Award - Sponsored by Fraser & Fraser

In this award, we look to recognise newcomers who display the same qualities that we seek when giving the 'Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year' Award’, as described above, but are considered to be at the earlier stages of their local authority or empty homes careers.

We recognise that Empty Homes Practitioners often work alone or within teams of wider specialisms, so we strongly encourage all practitioners to nominate for this award themselves, should they feel their achievements over the past 12 months are worthy of national recognition.

Meeting the Challenge Award - Sponsored by Grafton Empty Homes

Whilst excelling at providing a range of solutions to the problem of wasted homes, undoubtedly some cases are more challenging than others and require the right combination of perseverance, imagination and appropriate tools to be brought into play.

This award is intended to highlight particularly difficult cases that have been successfully dealt with and in judging the submissions for this award, we look to reward those that have shown the drive and determination to see a case through to a successful conclusion.

Best Partnership Award - Sponsored by Estate Research Ltd

This award aims to recognise the importance of partnership working between two independent agencies or organisations, where the relationship has made a fundamental contribution to bringing empties back into use.

Whether a particularly challenging case has been solved by bringing together external partners, or a combination of internal departments, we want to hear how your collaboration worked, developed and achieved success.

Best Before and After Photograph Award - Sponsored by Finders International

A picture speaks a thousand words, and nothing is more powerful in underlining the value of the work that empty homes practitioners do than before-and-after pictures. Submissions should be able to demonstrate a clear and visible difference, preferably taken from the same position, and where practitioners have played a vital role in returning the property to use.

And the good news…….. with this award you don't have to write anything!

The Innovation Award - Sponsored by NPLaw

Empty property practitioners excel at providing a wide range of solutions to the problem of wasted homes. This award aims to highlight the innovative thinking required to deal with the difficult long-term empties in a way that provides new solutions to old problems.

This award can cover individual interventions or entire schemes, and we're looking for creative and original approaches, systems and interventions that have demonstrated their value in helping bring empty homes back into use.

Submitting your nominations

The following applies to all awards, except where indicated otherwise in the description of the individual award.

Submissions should be clear and to the point and a maximum 1200 words per award on no more than 2 A4 pages.
You can send us more if you want e.g. pictures, sample forms, process diagrams etc - but in evaluating your submission we will only look at the first 1200 words of the first two pages (which should therefore be self-contained).
The deadline for submissions is Friday 10th May
Please send your submissions to admin@ehnetwork.org.uk

Submissions are accepted on the understanding that you are giving EHN licence to reproduce them in whole or in part, edited as appropriate for an audience of empty homes practitioners (for example, in news stories or in our Practice library).

We're very much looking forward to receiving your submissions, and celebrating the good work that practitioners are doing up and down the country.

Best wishes and good luck!

The Empty Homes Network