LECA 2026 is back - Who deserves a London Eco Champion Award?

The London Eco Champion Awards 2026 are officially open for nominations.

Now in our sixth year, LECA celebrates the people, schools, businesses and community organisations doing meaningful environmental work across London. It could be a small project making a big difference locally, or an organisation finding a completely new way to tackle an environmental challenge.

There are five categories:

• Mini Warriors (5–11) For younger Eco Champions making a difference at home, at school or in their community.

• Junior Heroes (12–17) For young people taking environmental action and inspiring others along the way.

• Local Leaders (18+) For individuals making a real difference in their local community.

• Super Schools For schools and student groups putting sustainability into action.

• Impact Businesses For businesses and organisations creating positive environmental impact through what they do.

  
  

Nominations are judged on Sustainability, Creativity & Innovation, Resourcefulness and Impact.

Meet the 2026 Judging Panel

This year's independent judging panel brings together people working across sustainability, science, business, communications and community action. Our judges include:

• Bethany Thomas, Head of Sustainability at Allianz

• Stuart Hepburn, Reputation Risk at Barclays

• Professor Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at UCL

• Charles Joly, Sustainability Director at Wellcome Trust

• Frank Blande, Head of Sustainability at GPE

• Sophia Kesteven, Senior Partnerships Manager at Octopus Energy

• Shooka Bidarian, Head of Communications at the Iran Prosperity Project

• Paula Owen, Co-Founder & Director of Eco Action Games

• Kate Cohen, Founder of It's Our Planet Too

• Anantika Sengupta, Sustainability Manager at The Guardian

• And three previous LECA winners - Lola May, Inaaya Ijaz & Leo

Last year's winners included Lola May, recognised for her work with Paddington Development Trust, and Inaaya Ijaz, recognised for her environmental advocacy through Redbridge Youth Council. Leo, our 2025 Mini Warrior, was also recognised for his work through Leo's Animal Planet.

Their stories are very different, but that's the point. LECA isn't about one particular type of environmental action. It's about recognising people who are actually doing something.

Having both experienced environmental professionals and people who have been recognised by LECA themselves brings a great perspective to the judging process.

And there are some great prizes up for grabs

Alongside the recognition of being named a London Eco Champion, this year's winners can look forward to some fantastic prizes.

There will be cash prizes, experiences including mini golf, a signed England rugby shirt, and plenty more to be announced over the coming weeks.

You could join us at King's Place

The 2026 Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday 9 December at King's Place in King's Cross - a leading cultural hub and home to music, talks, exhibitions and events throughout the year.

But first, we need to find this year's Eco Champions. Nominations are free and open until 25 October 2026. You can nominate someone else, or nominate yourself.

If you know someone making London cleaner, greener or more sustainable, this is their chance to be recognised. Nominate them for the London Eco Champion Awards 2026.