The CHWA Awards 2025 took place on 23rd April 2025.
Watch a short highlights video of the award-winners here - the full ceremony is at the bottom of this page...
Thank you to everyone who applied or nominated people for the CHWA Awards 2025. The awards are a chance for us to reflect, celebrate and champion the fantastic work going on across the country. It was a privilege to see the sheer variety and standard of work coming in this year.
We're pleased to announce the winners below. Each winner will receive a bespoke physical award, designed and made by artist Ric Raithby.
Collective Power Award, in partnership with Ideas Alliance and The Lived Experience Network
WINNER: The Knife Angel Project
The Knife Angel project shows the power of community collaboration in addressing serious challenges to youth health and wellbeing. It brought together diverse organisations with young people who had direct involvement in knife crime and serious youth violence. The project focused on those whose risky behaviours were severely impacting their own wellbeing and that of their families and communities. Through co-produced creative responses to the Knife Angel sculpture, participants developed powerful spoken word and rap pieces, performing at the installation launch. The project's success led to a year-long engagement, evolving into an album launch, series of performances, professional development and peer advocacy.
"The panel were really moved by the ability of this project to bring a community together in difficult times. The use of music and performance to shift the perspective of the community meant that these young people have gone from being perceived as risks, to valued partners and leaders for change. The impacts are wide ranging, touching not just the participants but their families and friends, and the commitment to working together effectively to address complex needs from all partners, make this a fantastic example of Collective Power. "
Collective Power Award Shortlist
Collective Power Award, in partnership with Ideas Alliance and The Lived Experience Network
The Addiction Recovery Arts Network
Healthy People and Planet Award, in partnership with The Happy Museum and Culture Declares Emergency
WINNER: House of Fairy Tales, The Great Imagining
The Great Imagining is a project by The House of Fairy Tales who have delivered learning adventures for young people, their families and communities since 2008. Transforming communities at a time of climate and ecological emergency, The Great Imagining works at the intersection of young people, climate change and the Arts to explore the possibilities offered by the multiple crises of our time. Following pilots through newspapers, exhibitions, workshops, symposiums, classrooms, university courses and a district council, we are developing a public education programme with schools at its heart, led by artists, scientists and experts and working with community groups and local creatives.
"The panel were really impressed with the variety of outputs and the sheer impacts of this project. They felt that the place based co-creation and focus on children and young people being leaders and key decision makers made it particularly effective, and the impacts of the work have now spread internationally, making on the ground impact in areas where the effects of climate breakdown are particularly felt. "
Practising Well Award, in partnership with Nicola Naismith
WINNER - Supporting Freelancers: Tracy Breathnach and team for How Ya Doing?
Tracy has designed and led the How Ya Doing? artist wellbeing programme since 2019. The programme has directly increased wellbeing for over 200 artists working in participatory settings across Wales. Tracy has taken this a step further to consider how arts organisations can change the culture around wellbeing, so that wellbeing is put at the centre of how they approach the work. Working with a team of freelance trainers, this has culminated in a new 2-day training course in Reflective Practice Facilitation for 13 creative practitioners to deliver reflective practice to support artists’ wellbeing, and a 1-day training course for organisations to develop their ‘Strategies for Wellbeing.'
"This project stood out for the impressive levels of consultation and how the project has grown over time and been shaped by the artists feedback. The areas of impact were clear on both individual and organisational/structural levels, and the panel felt it was doing vital work in changing the landscape of creative health in Wales. This projects responsiveness, commitment to learning and growth, and impact on the wider sector all helped demonstrate a person-centred and sustainable approach."
WINNER - Supporting Staff: Next Door But One
Next Door But One pride themselves on inclusive practice. They cannot make inclusive participatory arts provisions for their community if they don’t create equitably inclusive practices that support the team to bring their full selves into work. These include: • A Wellbeing Officer on every project. • Access Requirement Forms provided at contracting • Access Budget: to provide acute support that benefits the team team; emergency childcare, extra travel support to help fatigue conditions etc • Proactive Flexible Working: annualized hours so that they have autonomy in when they work their hours and can sustain a positive work life balance.
"The panel loved how embedded the wellbeing support felt in this nomination. They particularly liked the inclusion of a Supportive Working Ethos, and that the wellbeing support was held by someone external to the organisation. The focus on impacting the wider sector through workshops, training and case studies was particularly impressive and ensured that the benefits go beyond those directly working with the organisation."
HIGHLY COMMENDED - SUPPORTING FREELANCERS: Sue Loughlin for MOTHEROTHER
HIGHLY COMMENDED - SUPPORTING STAFF: Changing Relations
Practising Well Award Shortlist
The 2025 Judges
Alongside the core team at CHWA, applications were read and reviewed by a team of panellists with lived expertise and experience of the creative health sector:
- Nicola Naismith, visual artist, researcher and lecturer
- Hilary Jennings, The Happy Museum
- Victoria Burns, Culture Declares Emergency
- Helen Sharp, Ideas Alliance
- Richard McMann, Member of the Lived Experience Network
- Ruth Flanagan, Artist and member of the Lived Experience Network
- Bibi Aya, freelance artist and member of the Lived Experience Network
- Maz Koshika, creative facilitator, educator and drag king
- Amy Langdown, writer, facilitator and artist
- Eilidh Inara, artist and storyteller
- Manal Aldabbagh, coach, educator and expressive movement facilitator
Watch the full 2025 Awards Ceremony here!
Previous Awards winners and shortlist
2022 Award winners and shortlist
2021 Award winners and shortlist
2020 Award winners and shortlist
You can read a blog from previous award-winner Performing Medicine here.