Submissions are welcome from across COSLA’s member councils and their partnerships, although a limit of THREE applications per council per category will be allowed. Where the application is from a partnership, a lead council should be nominated to submit the application on its behalf.

Yes. You are welcome to apply to the awards regarding a project that you have put forward previously, provided that it did not win.

Your application can relate to a project or work of any size. We’ll make our decision based on how successfully you have met your objectives. We’re not assessing the scale of your project but the approach you have taken and the impact that you have had. However, projects that have made a substantial difference will inevitably score highly.

Your application can relate to changes or improvements that are currently taking place, or to a project that has been completed but is now delivering results. However, it’s very important to cover both innovation and the actual or projected impact this will deliver.

There is a max word count for the Executive Summary of 200 words. For others, we’d advise to be as focused and precise as possible in the information that you provide.

We assess your project through the application form alone and so it's important to remember that assessors don’t know your organisation or project.

We’ll get in touch and ask you to clarify anything that is not clear, so please keep your answers concise and relevant as possible.

Using plain English and the avoidance of acronyms/jargon will help ensure we can process your application quickly and with a clear understanding of your project.

The awards are limited to strictly 3 applications per category per organisation. The same application cannot be submitted to more than one category.

We have appointed our assessment panel for 2023 and are not currently looking for further assessors.

No, it’s completely free to apply. Short listed applicants are also offered complementary tickets for the awards ceremony.

No, all applications need to be submitted using our application form.

The main online application form is available here: https://bit.ly/COSLAExcellence

If you would prefer to use a word document version of the form, or need help completing the online application form, please email christine@cosla.gov.uk

We will contact you if you are short leeted to arrange the presentation to the judges, and will be on hand to answer any questions.

Please note: we will only respond using the email address you supply on your application form, so please ensure this is accurate.

All applicants get feedback on their application. Short leeted applicants will get feedback before presenting to the judging panel. All other feedback is distributed after the awards are announced.