New £10,000 award created for Scotland's next rural hero

The new prize is part of the Helping It Happen Awards, an award event run by estates membership organisation Scottish Land and Estates (SL&E).

To mark the tenth anniversary of the initiative, a new Rural Champion Award has been unveiled with a £10,000 prize attached to it. It will honour an individual who has made a lasting impact on their local area.

The award is being supported by The Royal Countryside Fund, which has worked with farming families and rural communities across the UK since 2010. The charity was founded by King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, in response to growing concerns about the pressures facing the countryside.

SL&E’s chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing said the milestone year offered an opportunity to “raise the bar” for the annual awards given, which recognise excellence across rural Scotland.

“The new Rural Champion Award… gives us a powerful opportunity to recognise the individuals who go above and beyond for their communities,” she said.

“These are the people making a real difference every day, often without recognition, and this award is about putting them firmly in the spotlight.

“If you know someone who deserves that recognition, now is the time to put them forward. These awards are about celebrating the people who keep rural Scotland moving, innovating and thriving.”

The awards are open to all – from farms and estates to rural businesses, charities and community groups – with no requirement to be a member of SL&E.

Some of the winners for 2025 included the Arrochar Community Hyrdo project who clinched the initiative’s Working With Communities Award. Beginning in 2018 with land gifted by Luss Estates, on the banks of Loch Lomond, the local hydro scheme now generates clean electricity for the villages of Luss, Arrochar and Tarbet. Profits are reinvested directly into local initiatives, supporting different projects from youth facilities to environmental initiatives.

Last year’s annual Enhancing Our Environment through Land Management Award went to Highland farmer Joyce Campbell of Armadale Farm. Ms Campbell was awarded for the holistic approach she takes to her landholding in north Sutherland where she combines large-scale peatland restoration, regenerative grazing and careful management of the Armadale Gorge Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Meanwhile the Combatting Climate Change award went to MAKAR Ltd, an organisation that pioneers timber-based, off-site construction, delivering over 250 Net Zero homes in Scotland.

Nominations for the 2026 awards are now open, with entries closing later this summer. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in the autumn.

Categories include conservation, innovation in farming, climate change, tourism, rural business, education and community work, alongside the new Rural Champion Award.

Ellie Burnage, of the Royal Countryside Fund said: “At The Royal Countryside Fund, we know that change can happen – because we see it every day.

“It starts with real people with local knowledge, passed down through generations. That’s why we work alongside farming families and rural communities – to truly understand their individual needs and provide locally based support to match.”