Competition calls for submissions exploring new ideas for community regeneration.
Local Trust has partnered with the Centre for Regional Economic Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University and cross-party think tank Demos to launch a forward-thinking essay competition, to harness innovative ideas that could benefit the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
The competition, which calls for essays on the topic of community regeneration, will launch on 17 September 2024, with final submissions to be entered by 10 January 2025.
It is open to the next generation of researchers who have been principal investigators, policy analysts and independent practitioners for fewer than five years. It is also open to graduate and post-doctoral students.
The winner of the competition will receive a prize of £5,000, with two runners-up receiving £1,000 each.
The winner will also be offered the chance to promote their essay through a meeting with policymakers at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, and a cross-government roundtable with policymakers, organised by Demos.
Matt Leach, chief executive at Local Trust, said:
“We’re excited to launch this essay competition at such a pivotal moment for community research.
“This initiative not only aims to inspire the next generation of researchers and analysts but also to harness fresh perspectives and evidence-based strategies that can genuinely transform disadvantaged communities.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the innovative ideas that emerge from this competition and how they might contribute to shaping thriving, resilient neighbourhoods across England.”
Polly Curtis, chief executive at Demos, said:
“We’re delighted to support this prize that seeks to flush out new ideas for community regeneration and encourage the next generation of researchers and policy makers in this vital field.
“The entries could be the solutions for the next phase of community development and I’m excited to read the entries and help promote the ideas with political stakeholders.”
The competition seeks to promote and disseminate evidence-based strategies to create vibrant, prosperous, and sustainable communities across England – and distil and share valuable insights from the Big Local programme. The entries will also inform the development of the newly launched Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods, chaired by Baroness Hilary Armstrong.
Delivered by Local Trust, Big Local is a unique funding programme established by the National Lottery Community Fund in 2010. Through Big Local, 150 areas across England were enabled to create lasting change in their neighbourhoods over 10 to 15 years, through grants of just over £1million.
Contrasting with conventional, top down, time-limited, project-led funding, awards were made to areas on the basis that they could be spent over time, at communities’ own pace, and according to their own plans and priorities.
To enter the competition, entrants must write an essay answering the following question:
What is your policy idea for turning the most socially and economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in England into thriving communities, what is the evidence behind it, and how might it best be successfully implemented with maximum impact?
The winning essays will be published on the CRESR website, with extracts published on the Local Trust and Demos websites.
Find out more about the essay competition and guidelines.
Local Trust’s manifesto, A new neighbourhoods policy, calls on the government to commit to improving the prospects of doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods – those that have the highest levels of deprivation and the least social infrastructure.
Capacity building is an important step towards better outcomes for these neighbourhoods which is why, as a founding member of the Community Wealth Fund Alliance, Local Trust is campaigning for the Community Wealth Fund to be used to support capacity building in doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the country.