Organised by C3SC, the esteemed Cardiff Volunteer Awards brings our members, partners and supporters together to say thank you to volunteers who dedicate their time to helping others.

The Cardiff Volunteer Awards is one of the highlights of C3SC’s annual events calendar not to be missed. Running for the seventh year, the awards ceremony aims to recognise volunteers, community groups and organisations for their selfless acts of kindness in helping those most in need in our local communities. However big or small the contribution, we want to acknowledge all those who dedicate a portion of their time to making a difference by asking members of the public to cast a nomination. Last year we received over 100 nominations, beating our previous record and this year, we need your help to recognise more volunteers for all that they do as we prepare to say a big thank you once again.

Categories

The awards categories for this year’s #CVA2025 are:

• Volunteer of the Year (Over 25 years of age) – awarded to a volunteer in this age category who has made a significant impact in their community through volunteering
• Young Volunteer of the Year (25 years and under) –for a volunteer in this age category who has made a notable difference in their community through volunteering
• Volunteer Group of the Year – Any group of 3 or more volunteers that work together; this could be a not-for-profit group whether constituted or non-constituted, a registered charity, or a social enterprise.
• Volunteer Coordinator of the Year –A person who supports others to volunteer or coordinates volunteering activities – including volunteer managers, coordinators or someone who leads a voluntary team, group, or organisation.
• Trustee of the Year – a trustee or member of a management committee who has supported their group to achieve positive outcomes through positive leadership and teamwork
• Outstanding Community Volunteer – An individual who has made a significant contribution to a local community or cause – for example, through long-service, or overcoming barriers, or involvement in an impactful activity or project – and has made a notable positive difference in our communities through volunteering.
• Inclusive Business of the Year –A third, public or private sector organisation which has developed inclusive, ethical, and sustainable working practices – through promoting volunteering, employee-led initiatives, Employer Supported Volunteering, inclusive partnership working, fair investment and/or pro-bono work.

The following categories are not open for public vote. Winners are selected from the volunteering-wales.net portal and will be announced at the Awards ceremony:

• VW Most Active Volunteer
• VW Most Active Provider

The final category is decided based on the impact youth grant projects made on communities working with particular target groups and priority target areas. The winner of this category is selected from the 2024-25 projects.

• Youth Led Grant Project of the Year

Nominations are not open yet. Please check back at a later date.

Would you like to sponsor the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2025?

Call us now to make an offer! Limited spaces.

The Cardiff Volunteer Awards has gone from strength to strength each year with thanks to our sponsors who provide financial support for our Awards to make it happen. This is achieved through purchasing one of our sponsorship packages, making a monetary or gifts in-kind donation (via product or service), or by purchasing a stall. This is a fantastic opportunity to progress your Corporate Social Responsibility goals and values, and this year we’re continuing the offer so that more organisations can get involved to say thank you to the thousands of volunteers who give their time freely to support their communities. There are 4 levels of sponsorship to choose from to suit all budgets and all sponsors will receive the benefit of free publicity.

Click here to view the Cardiff Volunteer Awards 2025 Sponsorship Document.

Please contact us on 02920 485 722 or email us at enquiries@c3sc.org.uk to discuss and start making your offer.

FAQs

Who is eligible to be nominated?

We welcome nominations from individuals and groups in Cardiff. Nominees must either live in Cardiff or undertake their volunteering work in Cardiff. The groups nominated must be based in Cardiff or work in Cardiff. Permission must be sought from the person or group nominated.

Please note that individuals cannot nominate themselves.

Can I nominate more than once?

Yes! You can nominate more than one individual or group at a time. Please submit a new form for each application and make sure each individual or group are aware of the nomination. This also includes nominating the same individual or group for different categories. E.g. The same individual nominated in two categories will be treated as two nominations.

I want to nominate but don’t know how. Can you help?

Once the nomination rounds are open, we will look to arrange some information sessions on how to make your nomination.

However if you prefer, the Team @C3SC would be more than happy to assist you with the nomination form, and any access requirements you may have. Please get in touch with the Cardiff Volunteer Centre team at volunteer@c3sc.org.uk.

I made a mistake on the nomination form I submitted. What shall I do?

If you have submitted a nomination form but feel that you have made a mistake, please get in touch with us as soon as possible to make the necessary changes. Contact us at volunteer@c3sc.org.uk with your name, organisation and nominee details and one of the team will be in touch.

How are the Winners decided?

Once the nomination round closes, all nominations are sorted into their respective categories ready for the judging panel to review the applications before meeting formally to discuss their scoring. Each judge will score independently from each other to remove any biases.

Please note that while some nominees may be nominated by multiple people, this will not have any effect on the scoring as to keep the process as fair as possible.

Can I complete a nomination in a different language?​

Absolutely! The nomination form is on Microsoft Forms. We have enabled multilingual input from community languages, including Arabic, Urdu, Spanish, French, Polish, and Ukranian.

When will we find out who won?​

Winners of the Cardiff Volunteer Awards are announced live at the awards ceremony event! Winner information is not publicised or shared anywhere publicly before the ceremony.