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Published: 22 May 2023

John Muir Award Redesign FAQs

To help share our exciting plans to redesign the John Muir Award we’ve developed these Frequently Asked Questions and Responses.

Contact us with how you can help us redesign the Award, or/and if you have any further questions.

Contents

Q1.  How does the John Muir Award fit into the work of the John Muir Trust?
Q2.  Why is the Award being redesigned?
Q3.  How can we get involved?
Q4.  What support will be available for those providing and/or completing the Award during 2023?
Q5.  We wish to register an Award now; can we still do so?
Q6.  We have already completed an Award; will our achievements still be valuable following the launch of a redesigned Award?
Q7.  The John Muir Award helps us meet our own organisational funding and outcome targets; will this change?
Q8.  My organisation already has funding targets for 2023 based on delivering the John Muir Award; what should we do?
Q9.  Is John Muir Award training still available?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How does the John Muir Award fit into the work of the John Muir Trust?

The John Muir Award remains a vital component of our engagement to help us reach a greater number of people to value and help advocate for wild places. It creates partnerships, connections, reach across the UK, and for many it is the first introduction to the concept of wild places. Progressing through the Award challenges can inspire people towards a life-long passion to experience, protect and repair wildness and wild places. 

Q2. Why is the Award being redesigned?

To mark 25 years since the Trust’s launch of the John Muir Award, we are excited to refresh it – building on its success, ensuring it remains relevant and preparing it for a bright future.

We aim to align it with our wider work – particularly to help more clearly demonstrate impact for people and places; identify and articulate cost benefits; create lasting connections with participants, providers and partners, and generate greater actions and advocacy for wild places. We want to improve it.

Q3. How can we get involved?

We’re inviting past and present participants, providers, partners, supporters and funders to help us create the best redesigned version of the Award.

This could be helping the Trust: co-create and pilot the next generation of Award; sharing insights and experience on measuring impacts (particularly on nature connectedness; health & wellbeing; action & advocacy for wild places); signposting or offering funding support to help us test, trial and develop a refreshed Award.

Contact us with how you can help us redesign the Award, or/and if you have any further questions.

Q4. What support will be available for those providing and/or completing the Award during 2023-24?

The Trust will continue to provide support for the existing John Muir Award until summer 2024. We are accepting registrations (via Proposal Forms) for Awards that plan to complete by 1 September 2024; as well as completion certificates. We will keep you updated on developments with the redesigned Award via our free ebulletin newsletters, @JohnMuirTrust social media, and on our website. We are happy to answer any questions by you or others in your organisation here.

Q5. We wish to register an Award now; can we still do so?

We are continuing to accept registrations (via Proposal Forms) for Awards that plan to complete by 1 September 2024. Visit our John Muir Award webpages to find out about the Award, suitability guidance and how to get involved.

Q6. We have already completed an Award; will our achievements still be valuable following the launch of a redesigned Award?

Yes, existing Award achievements continue to show valuable experiences of connecting with, enjoying, and caring for wild places. Any changes will not devalue what participants have achieved and what Award providers have delivered.

Q7. The John Muir Award helps us meet our own organisational funding and outcome targets – will this change?

We know one of the reasons many of our partners value the John Muir Award is because it can strengthen funding applications. As we develop the next generation of the John Muir Award we are excited by the opportunities for co-creating and co-designing engagement work with our current and with new partners.

Please contact the Trust if you have questions or would like to look at the potential of joint working.

Q8. My organisation already has funding targets for 2023-24 based on delivering the John Muir Award – what should we do?

The Trust will continue to provide support for the existing Award until summer 2024. We are accepting registrations (via Proposal Forms) for John Muir Awards that plan to complete by 1 September 2024; as well as completion certificates.

Stay in touch with the Trust for updates about the redesigned Award, which is expected to launch in summer 2024, via our free ebulletin newsletters, @JohnMuirTrust social media, and on our website. Please contact the Trust if you have questions.

Q9. Is John Muir Award training still available?

To help us focus our staff time and expertise in refreshing the Award, we are pausing our offer of training across the UK (unless training has already been agreed).

However, we do have resources designed to help: