Applications open for the 2020 ART Awards

The ART Awards continue to grow every year – with over £3,000 in prize money waiting to be won. Now is your chance to apply for the 2020 ART Awards!

The teaching awards are open to everyone – not just ART Members or those using ‘Learning the Ropes’ scheme – and the aim is to encourage and recognise the people and groups leading best practice and innovation in the teaching and development of ringing. The ringing awards are open to those who have completed one of the Learning the Ropes programmes (on tower or hand bells) or participated in the Learning the Ropes Plus scheme.

Whilst it can sound intimidating to apply for a national award when all you’re doing is having fun and making things happen, the ART Awards are there for normal ringers like you doing what you consider to be the right things – it’s only the rest of us that are in awe of what you are doing.

ART Awards 2020

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

The Sarah Beacham Youth Group Award
Prize of £400 – sponsored by the Sarah Beacham Memorial Trust

The Sarah Beacham School Group Award
Prize of £400 – sponsored by the Sarah Beacham Memorial Trust

The ART Award for Excellence in the Use of Technology in Teaching
Prize of £500 – sponsored by John Taylor & Co.

The ART Award for Excellence in Recruitment or Retention
Prize of £400 – sponsored by AbelSim

The ART Award for a University Society that has made a Significant Contribution to Promoting Ringing to Younger People
Prize of £500 – sponsored by CCCBR

The ART Award for Inspiring Leadership in Ringing
Prize of £400 – sponsored by Talent Innovations

The ART Learning the Ropes Individual Achievement Awards
Two prizes of £250 – sponsored by the Ancient Society of College Youths
Five highly commended prizes of £25 each

Worried about applying?

The judges aren’t looking for the most professional application, what they are looking for is ideas, commitment and results. So if you’re looking at new ways of recruiting it’s not just the idea, but the number of people you recruited and whether they stayed. Easy ways to show that – number retained a year or two later, new recruits coming in (success breeds success), quarter peals, striking competition results, practice attendance, or ringing progress (LtR Levels). And don’t forget photos and quotes. There’s no magic formula; think why what you’re doing has been successful and put it down on paper.

What are we looking for?

Hopefully having convinced you that the ART Awards might be relevant to you or a ringer or group you know, what are the common themes that appear in previous years’ winning applications?

  • Having a vision or passion and making it happen. However big or small, making things happen is what leadership is all about, even if you don’t call it that.
  • Trying out new things, some of which work and some of which don’t. If we don’t move with the times ringing will die, so take some risks.
  • Getting young people ringing and over-turning all those misconceptions that exist about children seeing ringing as “uncool” and giving up at the first hurdle.

Any of these ring any bells? If so, why not consider applying for yourself or a ringer or group you know. There will be an ART Award right for your application. And if you applied and didn’t win last year how about applying again, now you’ve got another year under your belt – it's happened before!

How do I enter?

» Find out more and apply for a 2020 ART Award

Share this link with your local ringing friends, groups and in your tower. Act now, don’t miss out! The closing date for applications is 31 December 2019.