Awards

Gorsedh Kernow Awards

The Gorsedh Kernow Awards seek to foster and promote the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall, through awarding Awen Medals for outstanding creative and community work that expresses Cornish identity and culture.

Read on to learn how to nominate someone for a Gorsedh Kernow Awen Award, or enter your own work for a Certificate of Recognition Award. Please note that there is also an award scheme for young people. (See Young People’s Awards details below.) Closing date is 5th May 2025.

 Gorsedh Kernow Awen Medals

 These specially-commissioned and designed Awen medals, featuring the Gorsedh Kernow Awen symbol of inspiration, are awarded to individuals or groups who make an outstanding contribution to the Celtic spirit of Cornwall. The judging panel welcome diverse interpretations of this theme. Professional work is included. There are two categories of Awen Medal:

1. Creativity/Awenekter
2. Community/Kemeneth

All nominations must be submitted electronically to awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk in a PDF or Word document. If this is difficult for you please contact us in good time at awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk so that we can make other arrangements.

Please state clearly in your Nomination Document:

1. The name and email address of the person you are nominating.
2. Your own email address.
3. The category (Creativity/Awenekter or Community/Kemeneth) for which you are nominating someone.
4. A detailed description of the individual or group’s contributions showing how they meet the award criteria. This can be up to 750 words and should include images or links to supporting material. These may also be attached to the email.

Please note that:

– The winners will be asked to give limited copyright permission to Gorsedh Kernow to feature aspects of their work in live and/or online exhibitions.

– Entries will be acknowledged and winners will be contacted.

– We cannot provide feedback and the judgement of the awarding panel is final.

 Certificates of Recognition

 Gorsedh Kernow seeks to encourage and promote Cornish culture, and values the expression of the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. Our Certificates of Recognition scheme enables anyone to submit their own work and have a chance of winning a Gorsedh Kernow Award. Successful entrants will be awarded a Certificate of Recognition. Outstanding work in any category may be awarded an Awen medal.

Please note we can only accept ONE submission by an individual in any category. You may make a submission on behalf of someone else, with their agreement.

 Categories 

1. Skrif Kernewek/ Cornish-language Writing

This category is designed to encourage writing in our native language. Entries are welcome at all levels of fluency. You are invited to submit a short story (hwedhel berr), an essay (yeth plen) or  poetry (gwersyow) up to a word limit of 2000 words for prose or 100 lines for poetry. We welcome accompanying video or audio recordings of the work, but this is not compulsory.

2. Cornish Dialect/ Rannyeth

This category is designed to encourage writing in Cornish Dialect. You are invited to submit either one story (up to 2000 words) or a poem (up to 100 lines). We welcome accompanying video or audio recordings of the work, but this is not compulsory.

3. Cornish Study/ Studhyans Kernewek.

 This category rewards research into, and writing about, the distinctive identity of Cornwall. Entrants should submit an in-depth study of one aspect of Cornish culture up to 10,000 words. This should be submitted as a PDF or Word file and may be written in Kernewek or English. 

4. Creative Work/ Ober Awenekter

 This category recognises new creative work, in any medium, that expresses and promotes the Celtic spirit of Cornwall. This could include new projects in the visual, musical or performance arts, and unpublished short creative writing in English. Examples could include: a new song, a new dance performance, a short story, a photography portfolio, an exhibition or a film.  Entrants should provide evidence of the project (including any text, images or films) and a brief explanation of the work.

How to enter:

Send your nomination to awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk, including the work, or evidence of the work, and a brief Submission Document, in PDF or Word format, by 5th May 2025. If this is difficult for you please contact us in good time at awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk.

Please state clearly:

1. The name and email address of the person you are nominating (yourself or someone else).
2. The category (see above) for which you are submitting work.
3. Where appropriate a brief (250-word max) statement of why the work expresses or promotes the Celtic spirit of Cornwall.
4. Your own email details if you are submitting someone else’s work.

For Categories 1, 2, & 3 attach a PDF or Word file. For Category 4 attach digital files of images, sound files, or embedded links in the Submission Document as appropriate. Please note that:

– Should an award be made, you will be asked to give limited copyright permission to Gorsedh Kernow to feature the work in live and/or online exhibitions.

– We will acknowledge entries and contact winners.

– We cannot provide feedback and the judgment of the awarding panel is final.

The Young People’s Scheme is open to whole school classes, groups and individuals. There is a range of categories including music, dance, Cornish language, study projects, art and design, and creative writing. This year we are also working in Partnership with Golden Tree’s Go Cornish programme in primary schools.

The Young People’s Awards are also presented at a special awards ceremony and work may be exhibited at the Esedhvos in September.

Leaflets for the Young People’s Awards give more information. Click here for the leaflet and the form.

If you have any further questions, please contact us via these emails:

awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk

young-peoples-awards@gorsedhkernow.org.uk