BCO VIRTUAL AWARDS EVENTS 2020
This year, necessitated by the pandemic, we are taking the BCO Awards online.
Following the announcements of the Regional Winners at virtual ceremonies in October 2020, the BCO National Awards 2020 will take place on Wednesday 24 March 2021, when the regional winners are brought together for the fiercely fought national awards final. This will be a fabulous virtual event with all the razzmatazz you would expect for the grand finale. Attendance is free of charge, but you will need to reserve your place or virtual table. Opening of bookings has been postponed until further notice, due to lockdown.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: BCO AWARDS 2021 ARE POSTPONED UNTIL 2022
To say that this has been an extraordinary year for us all would be an understatement. While it looks as if an astonishing breakthrough has been made with one of the coronavirus vaccines in play, the disruption caused by the pandemic has obviously been profound, and the constraints and restrictions are likely to continue until at least the Spring of 2021. Accepting this, we have taken the very difficult decision to merge what would have been the BCO's 2021 Awards Competition with the competition which will take place in 2022.
We fully accept that this decision will be a disappointment for many, and can only apologise for any inconvenience which has been caused. All submissions received so far or being prepared for submission will be rolled forward to 2022, and there will be a further call for entries in due course to create, what we hope, will be a truly bumper crop of offices to assess in 2022. If, as we all desperately hope, life can return to normal next year, the judging process for the 2022 competition. can continue as it has always done, with the regional visits to be scheduled in February / March 2022 followed by the national visits in June / July 2022.
As ever, please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support for the BCO's Awards Competition, and our work more generally. Again, I can only apologise for any inconvenience which may have been caused by this difficult decision, and do hope that you will understand that, sadly, accepting the current restrictions on movement and gatherings, we were left with no choice.
Richard Kauntze
Chief Executive
BCO AWARDS 2021 - WHAT HAPPENS TO SUBMISSIONS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS?
The awards portal will remain open until 5pm on Friday, 27 November 2020 and you can continue working on your entry until then as normal. You will be able to pick your entry up again when the website reopens next year.
Please download the Entry Guide 2021 which will take you through the entry process step by step. All submissions received so far or being prepared for submission will be rolled forward to 2022, and there will be a further call for entries in due course to create, what we hope, will be a truly bumper crop of offices to assess in 2022.
Test of Time Award 2021- POSTPONED UNTIL 2022
The Test of Time Award was introduced in 2011 and rewards previous BCO award winners that have gone on to fulfil their original aspirations and intentions. It recognises factors such as adaptability, savings in use, increased staff retention and / or reduced staff absenteeism. This award is by invitation of the national judging panel and is open to awards winners from the previous five years. All winners of a BCO Award in 2016 and 2017 will be invited in early 2022 to enter their winning project for a chance to win the BCO Test of Time Award at the National Awards Dinner in October 2022. To find out more, please email events@bco.org.uk