BBC Make a Difference Awards Celebrate 32 Northern Ireland Community Heroes Ahead of September Ceremony
Thirty-two finalists have been selected for the 2026 BBC Make a Difference Awards in Northern Ireland, with the overall winners set to be announced live on BBC Radio Ulster on Friday, 25 September, in a ceremony that celebrates the extraordinary contributions of ordinary people across the six counties.
Background
The BBC Make a Difference Awards have become one of the most anticipated events in Northern Ireland's community calendar. Now in their second decade, the awards were established to recognise the countless individuals and groups who give their time, energy, and resources to improve the lives of those around them — often without any expectation of recognition or reward. In a society that has sometimes been defined by its divisions, the awards offer a counternarrative: a celebration of the generosity, compassion, and civic spirit that characterises communities across Northern Ireland.
The awards are organised across eight categories, each designed to capture a different dimension of community contribution: Volunteer, Young Hero, Great Neighbour, Active, Community Group, Animal, Environmental, and Fundraiser. The breadth of the categories reflects the BBC's commitment to recognising that making a difference can take many forms — from organising a neighbourhood clean-up to raising tens of thousands of pounds for a local hospice, from caring for an elderly neighbour to campaigning for environmental protection.
Nominations for the 2026 awards closed in March, with the public invited to put forward individuals and groups they felt deserved recognition. The response was, by all accounts, overwhelming, with hundreds of nominations received from across the six counties. The task of selecting 32 finalists from that pool fell to a panel of judges who assessed each nomination against criteria including impact, consistency of effort, and the degree to which the nominee's contribution went beyond what might reasonably be expected.
Key Developments
The 32 finalists — four in each of the eight categories — were announced in the weeks leading up to the September ceremony. They represent communities from across Northern Ireland, from Belfast city centre to rural Fermanagh, from the north coast to the border counties of Armagh and Down. Their stories, as shared by the BBC in the run-up to the awards, paint a vivid picture of a society in which community spirit remains a powerful force.
Among the finalists are a retired nurse from Derry who has spent the past decade running a free befriending service for isolated elderly residents; a teenager from East Belfast who organised a series of fundraising events for a children's cancer charity after losing a close friend to the disease; a community group from Newry that has transformed a derelict site into a thriving community garden; and a farmer from County Tyrone who has dedicated years to rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife.
The overall winners in each category will be announced live on the Vinny and Cate show on BBC Radio Ulster on Friday, 25 September 2026. The ceremony, which is broadcast to audiences across Northern Ireland, has in previous years attracted significant public interest, with listeners voting for their favourite nominees in the weeks before the announcement.
BBC Northern Ireland controller Adam Smyth said the quality of nominations this year had been "humbling." "Every year we are reminded of just how much good is being done in communities across Northern Ireland by people who ask for nothing in return," he said. "The 32 finalists we have selected represent the very best of what our society has to offer."
Why It Matters
The BBC Make a Difference Awards matter for reasons that go beyond the recognition of individual nominees. In a media landscape that often prioritises conflict, controversy, and crisis, the awards offer a deliberate corrective — a reminder that the daily reality of life in Northern Ireland is shaped not only by political disputes and historical grievances, but by the quiet, persistent work of people who choose to invest in their communities.
This is particularly significant in Northern Ireland, where the legacy of the Troubles continues to cast a long shadow over public life. The awards cut across community boundaries, celebrating volunteers from both unionist and nationalist backgrounds, from urban and rural areas, from every corner of the six counties. In doing so, they embody a vision of Northern Ireland that is defined by shared humanity rather than division.
The Young Hero category deserves particular mention. The recognition of young people who are making a difference in their communities challenges the narrative — common in media coverage — that young people in Northern Ireland are disengaged or apathetic. The finalists in this category demonstrate that the opposite is true: that young people across the six counties are actively engaged in their communities and are making contributions that would be remarkable at any age.
Local Impact
The impact of the awards extends beyond the ceremony itself. In previous years, the recognition provided by the BBC Make a Difference Awards has helped finalists and winners to attract additional funding, volunteers, and public support for their work. Community groups that have been featured in the awards have reported significant increases in donations and volunteer numbers in the months following the ceremony. For individual nominees, the recognition has often provided a boost of confidence and motivation that has sustained their work through difficult periods.
Across Northern Ireland, from the Shankill Road to the Falls Road, from Derry's Bogside to the Glens of Antrim, the finalists represent communities that are, in their different ways, working to build a better future. The awards give those communities a moment to celebrate what they have achieved and to inspire others to follow their example.
What's Next
The overall winners in each of the eight categories will be announced on BBC Radio Ulster on 25 September 2026. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, the BBC will broadcast profiles of each of the 32 finalists across its Northern Ireland television and radio platforms, giving audiences the opportunity to learn about the work being done in communities across the six counties. Following the ceremony, the BBC plans to produce a documentary series featuring the stories of the winners, which will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland in the autumn.
