The Sanctuary Awards showcases MOD’s commitment to a sustainable estate

Last year's winners of the MOD Sanctuary Awards [Crown Copyright/MOD2019]

The Sanctuary Awards showcases MOD’s commitment to a sustainable estate and celebrates the achievements of teams and individuals who have worked hard to preserve and protect the Defence estate, both in the UK and overseas.

As the UK’s third largest land owner, the MOD takes its obligation as responsible stewards of its estate very seriously. The Sanctuary Awards give a great platform to showcase the dedication and hard work that goes in all over the world that not only supports the Armed Forces to live, work, train and deploy, but also deliver huge benefits to nature and historic conservation, energy saving and sustainability.

Nomination categories

The awards categories have changed this year and we’re now looking for nominations in the following categories:

• Environmental Protection and Enhancement – these include projects focused on wildlife and biodiversity, environmental research, or tackling pollution and contamination issues.
• Social Value, Community and Heritage – projects focused on some of the
  social aspects of sustainability, including heritage, public access, community engagement and education.
• Sustainable Construction – new build and refurbishment projects that
  innovate in fields such as new materials or designs, resource management, reuse of historic buildings and climate resilience.
• Energy, Low Carbon and Resource Efficiency – projects to reduce energy, water or resource consumption, recycling, the use of renewable energy and projects that contribute to the MOD’s Net Zero Carbon ambition.
• Sustainable Procurement – projects to improve sustainability of equipment or services, management of supply chains or product life cycles.
• Individual Achievement – for those who have made a significant personal contribution to MOD sustainability or conservation as a volunteer, MOD employee or contractor.

The Silver Otter Trophy is awarded to the Conservation Group or volunteer project that is deemed most impressive by the judges [Crown Copyright/MOD2017]

The winners from each of the six categories will automatically be considered for two further awards, the Silver Otter Trophy and the Sustainable Business Award. The Silver Otter Trophy is awarded to the Conservation Group or volunteer project that is deemed most impressive by the judges. The Sustainable Business Award is awarded to more commercial projects that have achieved success in providing  sustainable solutions that deliver against our commitment to enable the Armed Forces to live, work and train.

What happens next?

The winners are selected by the Sanctuary Award Board, which is a specialist judging panel comprised of internal and external subject matter experts.

Winners and Highly Commended entrants will virtually receive their awards from the Minister for Defence Procurement on 1st December 2020.

This event always proves to be a great celebration of the hard work by so many to protect and preserve the many historic and environmental treasures throughout the Defence estate.