Entry Rules & Judging Criteria (Terms and Conditions)

The deadline for entering the 2026 Ockenden International Prizes, launched on Monday 1 September 2025, is midnight (GMT) on Sunday 30 November 2025. The winner will be announced by the end of March 2026.

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 whichever not-for-profit organisation 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. Please use the online Entry Form.
  • The five Ockenden International Prizes are open to not-for-profit organisations, registered if possible with their relevant official national, regional, local, NGO/CSO or other international body.
  • All entries – and supporting documentation, including financials and accounts must be in English. Figures, stating which, are acceptable only in USD or GBP.
  • One entry only may be submitted per organisation 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.
  • Entries may be submitted by the organisation managing the project or by another organisation as nominator. Where a project is nominated, references in the entry to “the nominated organisation” mean the organisation managing the project and references to “your organisation” mean the organisation acting as nominator. In all cases “the organisation” means the organisation managing the project (whether ‘your organisation’ or the ‘nominated organisation’).
  • The organisation must be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of its entered project, preferably with measurable evidence of positive outcomes.
  • The project entered must be up-and-running before 1 March 2025: i.e. it must have been established and operational for a minimum of six months.
  • Ockenden International neither enters partnerships nor funds start-ups or project ideas – regardless of merit. Any entries seeking such funding will be disqualified.
  • Entrants must include a copy of the latest audited accounts, where (and when) available, of the organisation managing the entered project.
  • Organisations must have high standards of financial and administrative governance.
  • During the short-listing process, entrants may be asked to provide further information about the entered project and the organisation’s 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 can be used to help refugees and/or displaced persons and/or asylum-seekers in need as well as core funding such as administrative overheads supporting such projects. It is anticipated that, in general, prize money will be used to continue, extend and/or support the project referred to in the entry or for a similar future project run by the organisation.
  • 15 months after winning, the Prize-winners will be required to provide information to Ockenden International about the projects, which Ockenden International may share on its website, social media platforms and in other communications.
  • The decision of the judges, comprising Ockenden International’s independent Advisory Panel, is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

The UK Prize

Entries in contention for the UK Prize must be projects operational on the ground in the United Kingdom (UK) (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England), with the primary focus of the project entered demonstrably advancing the self-reliance of refugees and/or asylum-seekers living in the UK.

Entries for the UK Prize are not limited to UK-based organisations. Entries from organisations outside the UK will be considered so long as the project entered is successfully promoting the self-reliance of refugees and/or  asylum-seekers living in the United Kingdom.

Ockenden International reserves the right to determine which entries are eligible for the UK Prize.

Judging Criteria

The judges are looking for projects primarily from small-to-medium-scale organisations 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 projects that help refugees and/or displaced people build stable, independent lives.

All projects deemed to be benefiting refugees and/or asylum-seekers living in the United Kingdom will be considered for the UK Prize.

The judges will be looking for:

  • 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 projects deemed to be benefiting refugees and/or asylum-seekers living in the United Kingdom will be considered for the 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 hardcopy closing date, Monday 1 December 2025, to:

2026 Ockenden International Prizes
C/o Context Graphics Limited
1 Savernake Court,
Old Church Lane
Stanmore
Middlesex HA7 2RJ
United Kingdom

Or email it as an attachment to enquiries@ockendenprizes.org