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Championing rural business

Countryside Alliance Awards

The Countryside Alliance Awards serve to highlight the best rural businesses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They honour those who go the extra mile for their customers and communities.

Nominations for the 20th Anniversary 2027 awards are now open - find out more and nominate below.

Chatton Village Stores waving video
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

20th Anniversary Special Award

The Countryside Alliance Awards are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2027 and to mark two decades of celebrating the people, businesses and communities that make rural Britain special, we are introducing a brand-new 20th Anniversary Award.

Who has made an exceptional contribution to rural Britain? We want to hear from you.

crowd judges CA awards 2026 Lords_CA stock_July 2026

Celebrating rural heroes

What are our categories?

The Countryside Alliance Awards 2027 are split into six regular categories, covering the key areas across rural business, and one special 20th anniversary award.

20th Anniversary Special Award
Butcher
Pub
Village Shop / Post Office
Local Food and Drink
Rural Enterprise
Clarissa Dickson Wright Award
20 (1)

20th Anniversary Special Award

For outstanding contribution to the countryside

Has this individual, business, organisation or community made an exceptional and lasting contribution to rural life?

Have they gone above and beyond to support their local community and the countryside?

Have they made a real and meaningful difference to rural life?

Have they helped to protect, promote or celebrate the traditions, character or way of life of their rural community?

Have they shown outstanding commitment, leadership or innovation?

Is there a lasting legacy from their contribution, and will it benefit the countryside for years to come?

Do they embody the spirit of the Countryside Alliance Awards?

Would winning this special 20th Anniversary Award recognise an exceptional contribution and tell a truly inspiring story about rural Britain?

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Butcher

Is this retailer a qualified and experienced butcher?

Is there a high regard for animal welfare?

Is this butcher championing 'local food' and supporting other local producers?

Has this retailer put the community on the map via the quality and diversity of local produce being sold, and have they breathed life into the community/local economy?

Is traditional butchery at the heart of the enterprise or have they brought a modern twist to this ancient skill?

Has this retailer saved or promoted a traditional local food that may otherwise have been lost?

Is educating the next generation a priority?

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Pub

Is this pub the heart of the community?

Is this pub putting its local area and produce on the map, reflecting its specific county/region in the food and drink it serves?

Is this pub enhancing the local economy and community, as well as welcoming tourists to this corner of the United Kingdom?

Would the area suffer if this pub were not there?

Is this pub remaining relevant and dynamic in a challenging business environment, and exhibiting a flair for hospitality?

Would winning this competition reward a really special enterprise and tell a positive story about rural life while championing local food and drink?

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Village Shop / Post Office

Are the owners of this shop the hub of the community, playing the key role of the rural local shopkeeper?

Do the owners of this shop go above and beyond the call of duty?

Are the owners of this shop ambassadors for local produce, helping their community to make informed choices about where their food comes from and giving them the chance to support their local producers?

Is the guiding motivation a sense of community?

Do these retailers deserve this national recognition and can they be an inspiration for all village shop owners at a time when so many are failing?

Will this business continue to fly the flag for the local area for some time to come?

output-onlinetools (5)

Local Food and Drink

Is this retailer championing 'local food' and supporting other local producers?

Has the community been put on the map by the quality and diversity of local produce being sold, and breathed life into the community/local economy?

Is there a passionate commitment from the retailer?

Has this retailer saved or promoted a traditional local food that may otherwise have been lost?

Would winning this competition reward a really special enterprise and tell a positive story about rural life?

output-onlinetools (6)

Rural Enterprise

Is this a diverse and energetic business?

Is more going on at this business than the core activities?

Is this business a growing asset to its community and making a real contribution?

Does this business enhance the local area?

Would winning this award be a well-deserved boost and help the business to develop further for the good of the community and the local economy?

Is there a commitment to the future of the countryside, to jobs and to the local community?

output-onlinetools (2)

Clarissa Dickson Wright Award

The Clarissa Dickson Wright Award was instituted in 2013 with Clarissa’s full knowledge and support.

Her Award centres on her belief in campaigning, educating and prioritising slow food, taste, quality and support for our farmers and producers.

What are our categories?

The Countryside Alliance Awards 2027 are split into six regular categories, covering the key areas across rural business, and one special 20th anniversary award.

20th Anniversary Special Award

20 (1)

20th Anniversary Special Award

For outstanding contribution to the countryside

Has this individual, business, organisation or community made an exceptional and lasting contribution to rural life?

Have they gone above and beyond to support their local community and the countryside?

Have they made a real and meaningful difference to rural life?

Have they helped to protect, promote or celebrate the traditions, character or way of life of their rural community?

Have they shown outstanding commitment, leadership or innovation?

Is there a lasting legacy from their contribution, and will it benefit the countryside for years to come?

Do they embody the spirit of the Countryside Alliance Awards?

Would winning this special 20th Anniversary Award recognise an exceptional contribution and tell a truly inspiring story about rural Britain?

Butcher

output-onlinetools (4)

Butcher

Is this retailer a qualified and experienced butcher?

Is there a high regard for animal welfare?

Is this butcher championing 'local food' and supporting other local producers?

Has this retailer put the community on the map via the quality and diversity of local produce being sold, and have they breathed life into the community/local economy?

Is traditional butchery at the heart of the enterprise or have they brought a modern twist to this ancient skill?

Has this retailer saved or promoted a traditional local food that may otherwise have been lost?

Is educating the next generation a priority?

Pub

output-onlinetools

Pub

Is this pub the heart of the community?

Is this pub putting its local area and produce on the map, reflecting its specific county/region in the food and drink it serves?

Is this pub enhancing the local economy and community, as well as welcoming tourists to this corner of the United Kingdom?

Would the area suffer if this pub were not there?

Is this pub remaining relevant and dynamic in a challenging business environment, and exhibiting a flair for hospitality?

Would winning this competition reward a really special enterprise and tell a positive story about rural life while championing local food and drink?

Village Shop / Post Office

output-onlinetools (1)

Village Shop / Post Office

Are the owners of this shop the hub of the community, playing the key role of the rural local shopkeeper?

Do the owners of this shop go above and beyond the call of duty?

Are the owners of this shop ambassadors for local produce, helping their community to make informed choices about where their food comes from and giving them the chance to support their local producers?

Is the guiding motivation a sense of community?

Do these retailers deserve this national recognition and can they be an inspiration for all village shop owners at a time when so many are failing?

Will this business continue to fly the flag for the local area for some time to come?

Local Food and Drink

output-onlinetools (5)

Local Food and Drink

Is this retailer championing 'local food' and supporting other local producers?

Has the community been put on the map by the quality and diversity of local produce being sold, and breathed life into the community/local economy?

Is there a passionate commitment from the retailer?

Has this retailer saved or promoted a traditional local food that may otherwise have been lost?

Would winning this competition reward a really special enterprise and tell a positive story about rural life?

Rural Enterprise

output-onlinetools (6)

Rural Enterprise

Is this a diverse and energetic business?

Is more going on at this business than the core activities?

Is this business a growing asset to its community and making a real contribution?

Does this business enhance the local area?

Would winning this award be a well-deserved boost and help the business to develop further for the good of the community and the local economy?

Is there a commitment to the future of the countryside, to jobs and to the local community?

Clarissa Dickson Wright Award

output-onlinetools (2)

Clarissa Dickson Wright Award

The Clarissa Dickson Wright Award was instituted in 2013 with Clarissa’s full knowledge and support.

Her Award centres on her belief in campaigning, educating and prioritising slow food, taste, quality and support for our farmers and producers.

Countryside Alliance Awards Resources

  • Playing Now
    National Champions 2024
    Meet our National Champions who were crowned at our Champions' Reception.
    2024-06-21 00:00:00
  • Playing Now
    Welsh Champions 2024
    Meet the Regional Winners and Highly Commended businesses in Wales.
    2024-02-20 00:00:00
  • Playing Now
    Scottish Champions 2024
    Meet the Regional Winners and Highly Commended businesses in Scotland.
    2024-03-14 00:00:00
  • Playing Now
    Northern Irish Champions
    Meet the Regional Winners and Highly Commended businesses in Northern Ireland.
    2024-03-26 00:00:00
Meet our 2024 Countryside Alliance Awards winners
Learn more about the Countryside Alliance Awards

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the Countryside Alliance Awards work?

The Countryside Alliance Awards are driven by you, the general public, to help us highlight the very best of rural businesses.

It starts with our nominations phase where you nominate as many businesses as you like across our seven categories. From there, we open to a public vote where you help choose our Champions. You can find out more about the Awards process here.

How are the winners chosen?

Our winners are chosen by a carefully selected panel of judges who use questionnaires sent in by our finalists to help make their decision.

What are the seven categories?

Our seven categories are as follows:

  • Butcher
  • Pub
  • Village Shop / Post Office
  • Local Food and Drink
  • Rural Enterprise
  • Clarissa Dickson Wright Award
  • 20th Anniversary Special Award

You can find out more about each of our categories further up this page or here.

When do nominations close, and what happens after that?

Nominations have now opened for the 2027 Countryside Alliance Awards and will close on Sunday 13 December.

After that, we will announce finalists in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England through early 2026. Find out more about our timeline here.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with the latest awards news, nominations, finalists and timeline.