Breaking News: Finalists Revealed For ukactive Awards 2022

ukactive has today announced the finalists for the ukactive Awards 2022, as the sector prepares for a highly anticipated night of celebration in Birmingham next month.

A wide-ranging shortlist (listed below) reflects the breadth and influence of ukactive’s membership, with incredible examples of how the sector has rebuilt over the past year, since reopening from lockdown during the pandemic.  

Held in partnership with Active IQ, this year’s Awards shortlist includes fitness and leisure operators of all sizes; local councils; prominent suppliers; leading universities; sports bodies; and charities.

The awards are heading to a new venue this year; the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, on 30 June, following the Active Uprising conference.

There will also be two new awards – The Jan Spaticchia Award and the Education Provider of the Year Award. The COVID-19 award categories, which debuted last year, will now focus on how the sector continues to recover.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “We are delighted but not surprised by the number of incredible entries and stories we have received for this year’s ukactive Awards, which is testament to the unquestionable resilience and innovation within our sector. 

“We are extremely proud of all of our members, who have worked so hard in rebuilding the sector and our nation’s health, as we mark just over a year since facilities were allowed to reopen. 

“Congratulations to all the finalists, and commiserations to those who have not made the shortlist this year but we hope the process and feedback is useful in your continued growth. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the awards ceremony this summer.”

Jenny Patrickson, Managing Director at Active IQ, said: “I’m delighted to see this year’s awards attract such a strong field of entries and send my congratulations to all the finalists. 

“The standard has been very high once again this year and I would like to thank everyone who took the time and effort to put forward their entry for consideration. 

“Active IQ is proud to once again be the headline sponsor for the ukactive Awards and we’re particularly looking forward to seeing everyone in person at this year’s event. Ahead of that, I wish all the finalists the best of luck for the next stage of judging.” 

This year ukactive is delighted to announce that Proinsight will be leading the judging process of the awards.

Proinsight is an independent organisation with a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and a directory of highly experienced professionals to provide honest and objective feedback for each entry.

David Hopkins, Founder and Managing Director of Proinsight, said: “Having been involved with the awards for three years now we’ve been blown away with the quality of the submissions. 

“The applications show an abundance of great work going on in our sector following what has been a torrid time for everyone. We can’t wait to move to stage two which includes presentation, surveys and mystery shops – see you in Birmingham on the 30th of June.”

The finalists for the Physical Activity Hero and Outstanding Leadership Awards will be going live for a public vote on Monday 9 May and will remain open until Friday 27 May.

With the exception of those awards, written entries for the other awards will be assessed by an independent professional, with specific experience and skills that are relevant to each award, who will mark entries against a set criterion.

Entries will then proceed to ukactive’s virtual Judges’ House where representatives from each finalist organisation will be invited to present to the independent judging panels.

With the use of Proinsight’s online platform, comments and a score from each judge will be collated to confirm a winner for each category. Each entry will receive feedback reports which include their marks.

Entries for the Club Centre of the Year will go through a mystery shop as well as a digital review conducted by Proinsight.

The full list of ukactive Awards 2022 finalists:

The ukactive Awards will take place in Birmingham on Thursday 30 June. Visit the ukactive Awards page for tickets