Collaboration has changed the way business interacts with the world around it. That was readily apparent at last night’sCorporate Engagement Awards. The awards honoured the best in European sponsorship, partnerships and corporate social responsibility. In the hundreds of entries judged, those that won exhibited true collaboration between partner organisations or within an internal community.

The Corporate Engagement Awards, now in their fourth year, recognise successful programmes across sectors and industries. This year, those taking home trophies hailed from companies as big as Telefónica and McDonalds to as locally-focused as the Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council and PT Bank Mandiri, hailing from Indonesia. Winners made a difference in the worlds of sports, agriculture and development, local business, education, sustainability and recycling and beyond.

gold awards and one silver was a collaboration between over six partners, all of which had their own objectives leading into the project. The Build-it programme, supported by Cospa, brought public, private and third sector stakeholders together in south London’s borough of Lambeth to allow young people out of traditional education to build skills while helping to regenerate their local community.

The next two most successful programmes included a collaboration between Camden Town Unlimited, the Camden Council and the Mayor of London (Greater London Authority) to support SMEs and artists in the Camden area and KPMG’s longstanding pro bono programmes with partners ranging from Restless Development and Fairtrade to Shelter and the National Literacy Trust.

The awards were presented by Paralympic medallist and television presenter Ade Adepitan who discussed the value of working together and understanding one’s community.

Tim Reading, director of Cospa, which coordinated the Build-it programme, said: "It's tremendous to see Build-it recognised for the impact it’s having in helping young people to learn valuable new vocational skills and access employment opportunities whilst improving social housing in local communities. At the same time, I'm really pleased that the awards have highlighted and acknowledged the collaborative, cross-sector partnership approach that underpins and drives the programme. All of the partners involved both contribute something unique and essential to help make the programme happen, but also gain demonstrable business and organisational benefits from their involvement."

Brittany Golob, editor of Communicate magazine, said: “Corporate engagement is no longer a philanthropic activity that leaves strategic partnership down to chance. Savvy companies now integrate their partnerships and sponsorships into their overall communications strategies. In that way, both the charity, community or organisation and the business itself benefit. It’s our honour to recognise these partnerships, sponsorships and campaigns every year and we’re pleased to celebrate the winners of this year’s Corporate Engagement Awards.”

For more information about the awards, visit www.corporateengagementawards.com or email Hannah Hodges.

The full list of winners is as follows:

TYPE
Best arts and culture programme
Gold - HighTide and Lansons
Silver – EY and Tate
Bronze - VTB Capital and Eifman Ballet

Best charity, NGO or NFP programme
Gold - Barrie Wells – Box 4 Kids
Bronze - CEAD - Centre for Environment And Development, CEAD Fisherfolk Collective and CEAD Women SHGs
Bronze - KPMG LLP, Dyslexia Action, Shelter and The National Literacy Trust

Best pro bono work for a charitable, social and ethical cause
Gold - KPMG LLP, Dyslexia Action, Shelter and The National Literacy Trust
Silver - 30% Club, BNY Mellon and MHP Communications
Bronze - Housing for Women and MerchantCantos
Bronze - Barrie Wells – Box 4 Kids
Highly commended - WPP

Best educational programme
Gold - Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan 
Silver - Telefónica UK (O2) and Young Enterprise
Bronze - EDF Energy and EdComs
Bronze - National Apprenticeship Service and Public Relations Consultants Association
Highly commended - National Grid, City Year UK and Grayling Public Affairs

Best environmental and sustainable programme
Gold - Marks & Spencer Group and Oxfam
Gold - PT Bank Mandiri TBK and Universitas Gadjah Mada
Silver – Dentsu Aegis Network and Yomp
Bronze - O2 and Hope&Glory PR
Bronze - Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Highly commended - Olswang and Project Dirt

Best sports and leisure programme
Gold - Barrie Wells – Box 4 Kids
Silver - Premiership Rugby, British Council and Serviço Social da Indústria

Best combined programme
Gold - Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan
Silver - Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council and The Mayor of London (Greater London Authority)
Bronze - Premiership Rugby, BT Sport's Supporters Club and Public Health England
Highly commended - School for Social Entrepreneurs, Big Lottery Fund, Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland
 
TIME
Most effective short term programme
Gold - PT Bank Mandiri TBK and Universitas Gadjah Mada
Silver - Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council and The Mayor of London (Greater London Authority)
Silver - KPMG LLP, Dyslexia Action, Shelter and The National Literacy Trust Bronze - O2 and Hope&Glory PR
Highly commended - KCOM Group and Sparks

Most effective long term programme
Gold - KPMG LLP, Child Helpline International, Fairtrade and Restless Development
Silver - EDF Energy
Silver - Telefónica UK (O2), The National Youth Agency and UK Youth
Bronze - School for Social Entrepreneurs, Big Lottery Fund and Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland
Highly commended - HighTide and Lansons

SPONSORSHIP
Best sponsorship activity to raise brand awareness
Gold – Sony Mobile, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Grandins Flying Circus

Best alignment of brand values through a sponsorship activity
Gold - Coca-Cola Great Britain, FIFA and StreetGames
Silver - vInspired and RBS Early Careers

Most innovative sponsorship activity
Gold - Cancer Research UK and ScottishPower
Silver - Sony Mobile, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Grandins Flying Circus
Highly commended - VTB Capital and Calvert 22

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Best alignment of brand values during a CSR programme
Gold - O2 and Hope&Glory PR
Silver - BT and Lord's Taverners

Best community involvement during a CSR programme
Gold - Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan
Silver - Astellas Pharma EMEA and various partners
Silver - KPGroup Philippines, Inc. and Kanepackage Group of Companies
Bronze – Premiership Rugby, Barclays, Comic Relief, Land Rover and Wooden Spoon
Bronze - Michelin
Highly commended - NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment

Best collaboration of a single event
Gold – Vodafone, Vodafone Foundation and Threshold Sports
Silver - Investec Wealth & Investment and Lord's Taverners
Silver - National Farmers Union and Wm Morrison Supermarkets
Highly commended - Cancer Research UK and ScottishPower

Most innovative collaboration
Gold - Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council and The Mayor of London (Greater London Authority)
Gold - Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan
Silver - Internet Matters
Bronze - Central England Co-operative and Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council
Highly commended - KPMG LLP, Child Helpline International, Fairtrade and Restless Development

Best foundation programme
Gold - Santander UK Foundation

COMMUNICATION
Best stakeholder communications
Gold - Internet Matters
Gold - Puma Energy and MerchantCantos
Bronze - Marks & Spencer Group and Logistik

Best internal communications
Gold - EDF Energy
Silver - Puma Energy and MerchantCantos
Silver - Tayburn
Bronze - McDonald’s UK and Arc London
Highly commended - 100%Open and Oxfam

Best PR and external communications
Gold - MasterCard Europe and Ketchum
Silver - Internet Matters
Bronze - O2 and Hope&Glory PR
Highly commended - Anthony Nolan and Trinity Mirror plc

Best evaluation
Silver - EDF Energy

PROCESS
Best collaborative approach
Gold - Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council and The Mayor of London (Greater London Authority)
Gold - Central England Co-operative and Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council
Silver - Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan
Silver - KPMG LLP and Living Wage Foundation
Bronze - Cancer Research UK and ScottishPower
Highly commended - Asda and Corporate Culture Group

Best execution
Gold- Camden Town Unlimited, Camden Council and The Mayor of London (Greater London Authority)
Silver - O2 and Hope&Glory PR
Bronze - Asda and Corporate Culture Group

Best management of a programme
Gold - KPMG LLP, Child Helpline International, Fairtrade and Restless Development
Silver – TI Pharma, Astellas, Farmanguinhos, Merck, Simcyp and Swiss TPH

PEOPLE
Best personal contribution during a programme
Gold - Ronan Dunne, CEO, Telefónica UK (O2)
Silver - Mike Kelly, head of Living Wage, KPMG LLP

Best team effort during a programme
Gold - Cancer Research UK and ScottishPower
Silver - Cancer Research UK and Compass Group

GRAND PRIX
Cospa, Hyde Housing, Keepmoat, Lambeth Council, Lambeth Living, London Youth, Mears and Metropolitan