About Restoration Awards

Criteria, Process and Timetable

The Trust invites nominations for land, water or air based transport restoration projects for its prestigious annual Restoration Awards. Proposers can nominate either their own project or the work of others, and do not need to be a member of the Trust to apply.

Awards are made to restoration projects judged to be technically interesting, socially significant, or which fit with the Trust’s remit of preserving the past for the future.

The project should be well on the way to completion (but note the two categories below), with the lion’s share of the work completed by the owner or project group rather than a commercial restoration. There should be significant effort to maintain a high degree of originality in projects destined to be widely enjoyed by the public.

In addition to national recognition, a number of Awards will be accompanied by a financial contribution to the work.

How to apply

Awards are made on a 12 month cycle, running from 1st July to 30th June and presentations are made in the following September.

There are two types of award:

• • a Financial Award for a project where a grant is sought to help with the final stages of the restoration; and
  • an NTT Commemorative Award for a completed restoration where the applicant may be recognised for excellence in restoration achievement.

Applications for both types can be made online at any time during the cycle - click here. Applications received after 30th June will be considered in the following cycle.

Applicants for a financial award while the restoration is ongoing should provide a minimum of three photographs to accompany their application.  Ideally these images should cover:

• • The item (or another example of the item design if no photo of the item itself exists)"in service”
  • The item “as found”
  • The item in its state of restoration at the time of application. Further photos may be submitted as the restoration work advances. 
  • Applicants in respect of a completed restoration for a Commemorative Award should provide photos as in 1 and 2 above but also photos of the restoration process and the item’s finished state.  

Please ensure all photographs are either the copyright of the applicant or the applicant has a written permission from the copyright holder to make unlimited use of the photograph and to grant that right to the NTT;  the NTT reserves the right to use the photographs in any reasonable context without further reference.

The Awards process 

A shortlist of entries received will be compiled by the Awards Judging Panel. Shortlisted Projects will be visited by a representative of NTT at a time agreed with the applicant after submission of application.
Please note the decision of the Panel will be final, so applicants are encouraged to submit full details and the best images available.

Key dates

Winners will be informed immediately on completion of the Award Judging Panel deliberations. Where financial contributions are made, cheques will be included in that letter. Once confirmation of an Award has been received, recipients are free to publicise their Award should they so wish. Winners will also be invited to attend the Trust’s Annual Award Ceremony, which is held in the autumn.

Prior to the Awards Ceremony a small number of projects thought to the "best of the best" will be selected for "Commemorative" awards, named after key founder members of the Trust, these will  be announced during the award ceremony.

Previous Winners

Click here to see winners from 2007 onwards

Queries

Should you have any questions about the awards, criteria or process please contact the Awards Manager  info@nationaltransporttrust.org.uk