Entry Rules & Judging Criteria (Terms and Conditions)

The deadline for entering the 2025 Ockenden International Prizes, launched on Sunday, September 1, 2024, is midnight (GMT) on Saturday, November 30, 2024. The winner will be announced by the end of March 2025.

The five winning organisations will each receive GBP25,000.

By submitting an entry, the organisation entering the Ockenden International Prizes agrees to be bound by the Rules below.

Ockenden International is looking for projects, activities and/or programmes (each ‘a project’) which advance self-reliance among refugees and/or displaced people (and/or asylum seekers living in the UK). You can enter a project run by your non-profit organisation or you can nominate a project managed by a non-profit partner or affiliated organisation. In these Entry Rules, ‘the organisation’ refers to the not-for-profit organisation which manages the project.

Entry Rules

The project – for refugees and/or Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and/or asylum-seekers – should be the entire focus of your entry, which must be completed in English. Financial information must be in either USD or GBP. The online interactive Entry Form is preferred but if it is not possible for you to enter the contest via the Internet, please print, fill and post the hardcopy form to:

2025 Ockenden Prizes, c/- Context Graphics Limited, 1 Savernake Court, Old Church Lane, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 2RJ, United Kingdom, to be received no later than Saturday, November 30, 2024.

  • The five Ockenden International Prizes are open to not-for-profit organisations, registered with their relevant official national and/or local government bodies.
  • All entries – and supporting documentation, including financials and accounts – must be in English and USD or GBP.
  • Organisations may submit one entry only in each prize year. Unsuccessful organisations are welcome to reapply in future years.
  • Winners of Ockenden International Prizes are ineligible to enter for the following three years.
  • The not-for-profit organisation must be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of its entered program/project, preferably with measurable evidence of positive outcomes.
  • The project/program entered must be up-and-running before March 1, 2024: i.e. it must have been established and operational for a minimum of six months.
  • Entrants must include a copy of the entered project’s latest audited accounts with their application.
  • Organisations must have high standards of financial and administrative governance.
  • During the short-listing process, entrants may be asked to provide references or other evidence of the project and their financial and administrative governance.
  • All short-listed entrant referees will be asked to provide references and any other evidence related to the organisation entering and/or the entered project.
  • The two nominated referees required by all entrants must be third-party, relevant external observers.
  • Prize money for each of the five awards will only be paid to a bank account held in the entered organisation's name. In no circumstances will prize money be paid to a personal bank account. Ockenden International will not be responsible for any bank fees.
  • Prize money must only be used to help refugees and/or displaced persons and/or asylum-seekers in need and Ockenden International is required to ensure that prize money is used by a winning organisation in furtherance of Ockenden International’s charitable purposes. It is anticipated that, in general, prize money will be used to continue or extend the project referred to in the entry or for a similar future project run by the organisation.
  • Prize winners will be required to provide information to Ockenden International about the projects and the use of prize money which Ockenden International may share on its website, social media platforms and in other communications.
  • The jury’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Judging Criteria

The judges will, in particular, look for:

  • Projects that promote self-reliance among refugees and/or displaced people.
  • These may be projects that are led by or have a high level of participation from displaced people themselves; projects providing education, legal assistance and/or livelihood assistance; or any other programs that help refugees and/or displaced people build stable, independent lives.
  • Projects that have proved to be highly effective in improving the lives of refugees and/or displaced people.
  • Projects that have led to real change in the lives of refugees and/or displaced people.
  • Effective initiatives, with measurable evidence of outcomes.
  • All entries entered – subject to the Entry Rules – with projects or programs deemed to be benefiting refugees and/or asylum-seekers living in the United Kingdom will be considered for the new UK Prize.
Entries by Post

For organisations lacking stable access to the Internet, postal entries will be considered. If required, download the .pdf version of the Entry Form, complete the form in block letters, print and mail it, along with the requested documentation, by the closing date, Thursday, November 30, 2023, to:

2025 Ockenden International Prizes
c/- Context Graphics Limited
1 Savernake Court,
Old Church Lane
Stanmore
Middlesex HA7 2RJ
United Kingdom