Overview

We needed to engage and grow our audience for the newly launched Camdenist.com, against a hugely challenging backdrop of the UK’s unpredictable Covid lockdowns in late 2020. Our solution was to run a publicly voted online awards series, honouring local people and organisations who had gone above and beyond the call of duty during the year of pandemic. 

We defined a loose set of categories to ensure we could celebrate the work of food parcel providers one week and arts organisations the next, but all sharing the thread of being deeply invested in the community in the London Borough of Camden. Then we set about finding partners who shared our vision for celebrating Camden’s Covid Champions, and used the conversations as a way of introducing Camdenist to stakeholders big and small.

Project Partners

Delivery

Over 9 weeks through the first quarter of 2021, we published weekly category shortlists and winners. The format was to give ordinary members of the community and outstanding charitable organisations a ‘Sunday supplement’-style profile piece, while highlighting the good work of many others, too.

You can see all the winners and runners-up on this dedicated landing page on Camdenist.com 

We then featured the winners, and a socially-distanced outdoors award-giving photoshoot in the print title Camdenist Presents Unlockdown, which was distributed free through the letterboxes of all 270,000 residents across the London Borough of Camden in June 2021.

Congratulations to all our Covid Champions!

Why this excites us

  • Partnering with local stakeholders including Google
  • The unparalleled opportunity to make something positive from an ongoing time of crisis
  •  Being able to tell brilliant local stories 

If you’d like to be involved with Camdenist as a local partner or collaborator, or want to explore us setting up a similar awards or community publication in your own area, please get in touch: info@camdenist.com