The National Arts and Cultural Education Awards
Celebrating arts, culture and creativity for young people, in and out of school. Supporting the Chance to See Fund.
Tickets are now available for the National Arts and Cultural Education Awards 2026!
We know that children and young people who take part in arts and culture live richer, fuller lives. But access to creative experiences is far from universal. Children and their families are too often excluded from participation as a result of social or economic inequalities.
These awards are all about celebrating the incredible, passionate people – teachers, teaching artists and creative practitioners, youth and social workers, health and wellbeing specialists and community volunteers – who are working to improve young lives by breaking down barriers to engagement with arts and culture.
This year the Awards will take place on October 21st 2026 at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester (RNCM).
Partnership opportunities for the NACE Awards 2026 are available
To be in a room with so many people who are committed to serving children and young people’s lives and improving their experiences through creativity was an absolute honour.
Award winner, 2024
Leading nationally from the North
For the first time, Curious Minds is taking its popular Awards programme national in 2026, expanding eligibility to nominees and projects right across the UK, including Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Since our earliest Awards in 2017 and 2018, which honoured the best in the England’s North West, the programme has consistently showcased outstanding work and amazing changemakers in the field of art education and cultural learning. The team behind the Awards have always been blown away by the quality of submissions and the inspirational stories they told - even as the programme’s format developed and grew.
In 2020, we pivoted to respond the unique challenges of the Covid pandemic. Then, in 2024, we expanded the remit to cover all of Northern England, with the support of Arts Council England.
The time is right to broaden the Awards’ focus again. We have always known that brilliant and innovative people and projects are using art and creativity to make a real, lasting impact on the lives of young people everywhere in the UK. We’re incredibly excited to hear about and champion their stories in 2026.
Chance to See Fund
The NACE Awards are not only a celebration of arts and cultural education, they also provide a powerful platform for us to support fundraising for our Chance to See Fund, a partnership between Curious Minds and Wigan band, The Lathums, created to open up access to creative experiences for children and young people.
By bringing together leaders from across the arts, education and cultural sectors, the Awards create a powerful moment to highlight both impact and need, inspiring investment in access to meaningful cultural experiences.
This makes the Awards and the Chance to See Fund a natural partnership, building momentum for change by celebrating what’s possible while enabling more children and young people to access positive, creative opportunities.
It means a huge amount to us as an organisation. We’ve been on such a journey over the last 12 months.
2024 Award Winner
Award categories and timeline for entries
There are 10 Award categories in 2026. These are:
- The Arts Leadership in Education Award
- The Inspirational Local Partnership Award
- The Innovators in Engagement Award
- The Mighty Roots Award
- The Fearless Freelancer Award
- The One to Watch Award
- The Young Arts Activism Award
- The Spark the Change Award
- The Power in Practice Award
- The Changemaker Award
Nominations are open. Deadline for nominations is midday (12:00pm) on Monday 15th June 2026. No late entries will be accepted.
Finalists will be announced on or shortly after Wednesday 15th July.
The Awards will take place October 21st 2026 at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).
As with our past Awards programmes, there will be no cost to submit an entry.
Tickets
You can now book your place to join us at this year's National Arts and Cultural Education Awards 2026. This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of Arts Council England. Tickets are now available - don't miss out.
