Taking Part
Entries for 2025 Digital Culture Awards are now open!
Arts Council England and the Digital Culture Network are excited to announce the third Digital Culture Awards – celebrating digital excellence and innovation in the creative and cultural sector.
Since 2019, the Digital Culture Network has supported over 1850 organisations and individuals with their digital skills and ambitions, and we continue to be inspired by the innovation and agility our sector displays.
That’s why we’re once again searching for the very best in digital transformation, digital engagement, and use of technology in creativity and culture in England. Whether you’ve reached new engagement heights from a social media or email marketing campaign, taken your creative offer online or made use of your data to drive organisational change – we want to hear about it!
When is it?
Submissions are now open and close at 12pm on Wednesday 23 October. Shortlisted organisations and individuals will be notified in late February, and the Winners will be announced in the middle of March 2025.
Who’s involved?
We’ve partnered with an exciting range of inspiring industry-leading Judges from the worlds of tech and the arts. They will join members of the Digital Culture Network, and a number of specialists from across the Arts Council, to form a scoring panel. For more information head to our Judges page.
How do we enter?
Follow the links below to learn more about each category and enter using the Award Force submission platform. You can enter your organisation in as many categories as you like!
If you have more questions, you can attend our Awards Q&A webinar on 24 September.
What are the categories?
Digital Marketing
This category recognises outstanding digital marketing efforts in creativity and culture. Entries should demonstrate how these initiatives have helped achieve your organisational or audience goals. Entries could include but are not limited to social media activity and strategy, email marketing campaigns, content marketing campaigns, Search Engine Optimisation/ Search Engine Marketing campaigns, digital advertising, and viral marketing efforts.
Digital Content
This category recognises the innovative use of digital technology to create and distribute creative and cultural content. Entries should demonstrate how digital content has had a positive impact on your audiences. Entries could include but are not limited to; videos, podcasts, interactive or immersive content, online exhibitions, or multimedia storytelling.
Using Data
This category recognises the innovative use of data collection and analysis to steer decision-making and drive impactful change. Entries should demonstrate how you used data to reach new audiences, address user needs or grow your online revenue. Entries could include but are not limited to; the use of user surveys, Google Analytics, data visualisation tools, customer or CRM data, or marketing data such as social media or emails.
Digital Inclusion
This category recognises the innovative use of digital technology to improve access to creativity and culture for diverse and representative audiences. Entries could include but are not limited to; use of assistive technology, use of creative captioning, projects that provide affordable access to technology, or the creation of inclusive and accessible digital spaces.
Digital Ambassador
This category recognises someone who uses digital technology or tools to create lasting and meaningful change. This could be in your own projects or within an organisation. You could be at any point in your career or of any skill level, so long as you are helping to transform how your organisation or community uses digital. This category only accepts self-submissions, so please encourage your peers to enter!
Things to consider
We know that innovation will mean something different to everyone. Please provide as much detail as possible so that we can fully understand why your project was innovative for the size and scale of your organisation or work.
We will consider diversity, accessibility, relevance and inclusion across all categories. Please be sure to let us know what considerations you made towards making your project inclusive, relevant and accessible. Further information is available here: Inclusivity & Relevance | Arts Council England
Digital skills development is an important factor in innovation. Please be sure you let us know what work you’re doing to support the development and growth of digital skills in your organisation or for yourself.
Let your whole team know that you’re making a submission to the Awards! You might not have oversight of all areas of your organisation, so please speak to the person or people responsible for marketing, participation, HR, finance, or data (just to name a few!). They could have unexpected insights, examples, or an interest in entering a category you didn’t consider.
An audio description of this section is available here.
For everyone else, keep up to date by signing up to the Digital Culture Network mailing list and following us on X @ace_dcn and LinkedIn.
If you need some inspiration or would like to know more about the projects entered in previous Digital Culture Awards, check out the Winner’s page.
