Urban Forestry Award
The 2025 Awards Programme
is open for entries!
We are delighted to be offering this new competition, for Urban Forestry, as part of Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards in 2025. We will provide any updates about the Awards’ programme here on the website or through our social channels – Twitter and LinkedIn.
The importance of trees not only to nature and the environment but also to people’s health and wellbeing is becoming more and more apparent. In Scotland more than 80% of the population live in urban areas yet many neighbourhoods lack the tree cover that is so important in providing the benefits that make our towns and cities healthy and enjoyable places to live and work. The Tree Equity Score shows just how many of our urban spaces could benefit from more trees in our gardens, parks and streets.
What is the competition for?
In Scotland’s towns and cities, people are working to increase access to woodlands and help with climate adaptation, biodiversity and health and wellbeing through woodland projects. Our judges want to recognise and reward their achievement.
This is a new Award Category for 2025 for Urban Forestry which will be sponsored by Future Woodlands Scotland.
What sort of Urban Forestry project is eligible?
Entry is open to projects that demonstrate the following criteria. A summary is given below, and more details can be found in the Guidance for Entrants at the end of this form:
- Projects should demonstrate how they are helping towns and cities across Scotland achieve the 3-30-300 rule* to build healthier and more climate resilient communities. Projects should make a direct contribution to this through establishing trees and greenspace, improving access to woodlands and greenspace, or help to enable that process.
- We are also keen to see projects that educate people on the benefits of trees, raise awareness of their importance, and encourage and enable people to look after them. Projects should set out how learning and awareness raising takes place and what the impacts are.
- We strongly support involving communities in planting, looking after, learning about and enjoying trees and woodlands. To that end we would expect to see compelling evidence of engaged communities.
- We are keen to see projects that are adopting a novel or innovative approach. We are also interested in projects that have a wider impact or that can be replicated or scaled up.
*The 3-30-300 was developed by Cecil Konijnendijk of the Nature Based Solutions Institute and states:
- 3: Everyone can see at least three trees from where they live and work.
- 30: Every neighbourhood has at least 30% tree canopy cover.
- 300: Everyone is within 300m of good public greenspace.
Judging
The judges aim to visit short-listed entries during the summer. You will be contacted by the judges directly to arrange any site visit.
Prizes
A £1,000 cash prize is usually available for the winning project. In addition, the prestigious Future Woodlands Scotland Trophy for Urban Forestry will be awarded at the discretion of the judges with custody for one year.
In addition, the winners and any other entrants commended by the judges will receive a certificate and a commemorative wooden plaque recording their achievement.
How to enter
Download the appropriate entry form below. After reading the How to Enter and Guidance for Entrants, complete the entry form if your project satisfies all the criteria, referring to the Supporting Information and Images section in the guidance. You may include relevant supporting information especially videos and photographs with your entry to help our judges in their decision making – further details stated in Guidance for Entrants.
If eligible, you may enter more than one category (up to three – please check each category form for specific questions).
- download Word document
- download PDF version
Closing date for entries
Please submit your application by email as early as possible and by 23:59 on Saturday, 31st May 2025 at the latest. Late entries will not be considered.
For more information, please see www.sfwa.co.uk or contact:
Jean Nairn, Executive Director, Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards
Email: admin@sfwa.co.uk
Tel: 07954 847055 (leave message)
Socials: Twitter; LinkedIn
Award Sponsor:
The Urban Forestry Award is supported by:
