Ministry of Defence Sanctuary Awards
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-03)

The annual Sanctuary Awards recognise outstanding conservation and sustainability efforts across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) estate.

The Sanctuary Awards have been recognising outstanding conservation and sustainability efforts across the MOD estate since 1991.

The awards celebrate and encourage group and individual efforts that benefit sustainable development, environmental and heritage conservation, utilities and resource-saving measures, sustainable construction and procurement or community awareness on land or property that the MOD owns or uses in the UK and overseas.

34th Sanctuary Awards

The 34th Sanctuary Awards ceremony will be held on Monday 13 October 2025 from 11.30am.

The ceremony will include a guest speaker and short films about the project winners alongside the trophy presentations.

To register for the YouTube live stream of the 34th Sanctuary Awards, visit our Eventbrite page (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ministry-of-defences-34th-sanctuary-awards-tickets-1551940167819?aff=oddtdtcreator).

Awards will be presented in the following categories:
- Climate Change Resilience Award - projects or activities focused on taking action to enhance climate resilience through mitigation or adaption.
- Early Career Award - for individuals in the first 5 years of their sustainability or conservation career who have made a significant personal contribution to MOD sustainability or conservation.
- Environmental Enhancement Award - projects focused on wildlife and biodiversity, environmental research, facilitating public access, or tackling pollution and contamination issues.
- Individual Achievement Award - for those who have made a significant personal contribution to MOD sustainability or conservation as a volunteer, MOD employee or contractor.
- Heritage Award - projects focused on archaeology, historic buildings, historic parks and gardens, historic landscape preservation, museum collections, or heritage education and public engagement.
- Net Zero and Resource Efficiency Award - projects that contribute to the MOD’s Net Zero Carbon ambition, reduce energy, water or resource consumption, renewable energy or recycling.
- Sustainable Delivery Award - projects that deliver against a MOD priority area, objective or commitment to improve or innovate the sustainability of equipment or services, management of supply chains or product life cycles, digitalisation, or new-build construction and refurbishment projects.
Winners from the above categories will be further considered for one of the following:

Silver Otter Trophy - awarded to the best Establishment, Conservation Group or community-led project or individual conservation effort on the MOD estate.

Operational Capability Award - awarded to the project which best delivers enhanced operational capability through sustainability.

Innovation Award - judged by the Ministry of Defence Innovation Directorate to highlight a project which exemplifies innovative behaviours, ensures a clear drive for sustainable innovation, enhances operational efficiency and contributes to environmental resilience within the defence sector.

Related content
- Sanctuary magazine (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sanctuary)
- Sustainability and Climate Change: MOD (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sustainable-development-mod)