Play England has announced the finalists for the inaugural National Play Awards 2026, recognising outstanding contributions to children’s play across England.
The Awards are rooted in Play England’s ten-year strategy - It All Starts with Play! and celebrate the people, places, practice and progress creating the conditions for all children to play.
Awards are presented across Spaces, Skills, Sector and Society, alongside two Play Personality of the Year awards recognising the outstanding contribution of children and adults to play.
The inaugural National Play Awards attracted an exceptional response, with 140 nominations received across the six categories. Nominations came from across the play ecosystem, including children and young people, charities and community organisations, local authorities, schools, health services, researchers, designers, planners, funders and businesses.
Following independent judging and moderation against the published criteria, 17 finalists have been selected:
Spaces Award
- Meriden Adventure Playground
- St Nicholas Priory CE VA Primary School and Nursery
- Stockton Waterfront Park
Skills Award
- Children’s Scrapstore
- Deaf Active
- Z-Arts
Sector Award
- Sandwell MBC – Play Service
- SoHPS and Starlight
- Splash Community Projects
Society Award
- Everyone Has The Right 2 Play Campaign
- Kings Camps – Supporting Families Programme
- Play Worcester
Children’s Play Personality of the Year
- Alice Lambkin
- Play Gloucestershire’s Young Volunteers
Play Personality of the Year
- Abigail Gaines
- Angela Fell
- Iván Diaz Burlinson
The finalists were selected by an independent judging panel comprising Dr Naomi Lott (Head Judge), Dr Michael Martin, Dianne Larrington, and Oscar.
Together, the panel brought expertise across children’s rights, play, research, practice and children’s lived experience.
Nominations were assessed against the published criteria, including their impact on children’s play; contribution to Space, Time, Acceptance and Rights (STAR); inclusion and children’s participation; and the strength, sustainability and wider learning of the evidence submitted.
Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play England, said: “The response to the inaugural National Play Awards has been extraordinary. More than the number of nominations, what struck us was their breadth and quality. They show that creating the conditions for play is not the responsibility of one profession, organisation or sector. It depends on the places children live, the people who support play, the systems that shape their opportunities and a society that values and accepts play as a normal part of childhood.
“The finalists bring that to life. From children and community organisations to schools, local authorities, health services and national initiatives, they demonstrate what progress towards restoring a play-based childhood can look like in practice.
“Congratulations to every finalist, and thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate the people, places and organisations making a difference to children’s freedom to play.”
The winners will be announced at the National Play Awards Dinner at The Slate, University of Warwick, on Thursday 8 October 2026.
The Awards take place on the eve of the inaugural National Play Conference, also at The Slate on Friday 9 October, bringing together children, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, organisations and decision-makers from across England around the shared challenge of creating the conditions for play.
