The physical activity awards have improved their judging process so thoroughly that the trophy has been asked to provide balanced feedback on its own performance. It has submitted a form explaining that it is shiny, well supported and regularly lifted by people who have not read the criteria.
ukactive has announced the finalists for its 2025 Awards, which recognise organisations, programmes and individuals across the physical activity sector. The announcement says changes to the application and judging process are intended to make the awards more transparent and representative, including new categories for independent and private clubs or centres.
The judging process is being led by Proinsight, with an additional layer of judging at the first stage and more detailed feedback for entries. This is a sensible attempt to make recognition less dependent on whoever can turn a swimming lesson into a 900 word account of stakeholder transformation.
“We want a fair process,” said Tessa Medallist, Head of Objective Clapping. “The first step is making sure the nomination form does not contain a hidden stamina test. The second is checking whether innovative means anything beyond a new colour of lanyard.”
The awards cover a sector where useful work can be practical, repetitive and difficult to photograph beside a smoke machine. A leisure centre that helps people become more active may not have a dramatic origin story, unless the origin story is an argument about the booking system and three months spent waiting for a replacement printer.
The Office of Balanced Judging has therefore added another layer of assessment. It brings scrutiny, feedback and the possibility that an applicant may discover its finest initiative needed a clearer budget line. The trophy has welcomed this development, although it is worried that Outstanding Achievement in Being Handed Around may no longer count as a serious category.
Recognition can help good practice travel beyond the winner table. It can also encourage organisations to explain what they actually did, rather than burying the useful bit beneath phrases such as a holistic movement ecosystem for inclusive participation. The trophy has begun writing its own entry, describing being placed on a table as a bold intervention in elevated visibility.
At the ceremony, finalists will be expected to demonstrate excellence, dedication and vision. The trophy will demonstrate none of these, but has hired a consultant to describe its lack of movement as a bold commitment to stillness. It has also asked the judges for a reference, proving that the only thing more exhausting than applying for an award is being one.
Real story: ukactive.
