Nominations open for the 2024 Tendring Youth Awards

Nominations have opened for the eighth Tendring Youth Awards – including a new category for 2024.

The awards celebrate amazing accomplishments by young people who live, study or work in Tendring, across a wide range of categories; as well as adults who support them.

Nominations open now, ahead of the glitzy gala awards evening in July, to give people plenty of time to put forward young people.

Harwich Haven Authority returns as headline sponsors of the awards for a fifth year, with the Tendring Youth Awards also supported by Tendring District Council and Essex County Council.

Other sponsors so far include the Princes Theatre, Tendring Careline, Actual Radio, Halterman Carless and Aquinas Provisions Ltd, while Latimer by Clarion Housing Group and TimeLine Auctions Limited join as new sponsors for 2024.

Newly introduced for 2024 is a Young Life Saver Award, to recognise young people who have either directly saved a life, or who have taught and shared skills to train others to do so.

This joins the existing ten categories such as Community Improvement and Environmental Initiative – both of which come with a bursary for the winner – and the Unsung Hero award for adults who support young people.

This year the Tendring Youth Awards committee has also re-named the former Volunteer Award to ‘For the Good of All’, in recognition of wider community volunteering that many young people carry out.

Individuals or groups of young people, such as youth organisations, can be nominated; while the various categories recognise academic achievement, inspirational caring, work in the community and efforts to help the environment, among others.

A panel of judges assess the nominations after the deadline of Sunday, 21 April, and compile a shortlist of finalists, who will be invited to a glitzy presentation evening at Clacton’s Princes Theatre on Tuesday, 9 July.

Karen O’Connor, Chairwoman of the Tendring Youth Awards, said that a decade on (the awards missed two years due to Covid-19) she was still humbled by the incredible achievements of young people in the area.

“Each and every year we learn about some truly incredible young people, and I cannot wait to see the nominations this year,” Karen said.

“However, that is only possible with your help – so please think about young people you know and put them forward for a Tendring Youth Award.

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing what nominations we receive in our new category, Young Life Saver, which I am confident will be full of inspiring stories.

“I would also like to thank our sponsors for their continued support – particularly our headline sponsors, Harwich Haven Authority, and our new sponsors for this year, Latimer by Clarion Housing Group and TimeLine Auctions – and if your business or organisation would like to sponsor the awards, please do get in touch.”

To nominate someone for a Tendring Youth Award, complete an online nomination form at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/tendring-youth-awards or request a form and submit it via [email protected] – alternatively you can fill it out and return it by post to Tendring Youth Awards (Nominations), Town Hall, Clacton, CO15 1SE.