Celebrating the 2026 Do it Now Now Awards at the Horniman Museum

The Do it Now Now Awards was founded to spotlight, platform and celebrate Black leaders and Black-led organisations making a positive difference in wider society.

As Do it Now Now CEO Bayo puts it, “The Do it Now Now Awards were created to celebrate the people and organisations doing powerful, necessary work in our communities, often without the recognition they deserve. These awards are a moment to honour their leadership, creativity and impact, and to shine a light on the people building a fairer future for us all.”

It is clear this platform was needed. Do It Now Now received an unprecedented number of applications. Individuals and organisations applied from across the UK, reflecting the full breadth of work happening nationwide.

We received applications across a multitude of industries and communities, with organisations and people working in the arts, youth work, social justice movements, LGBTQ+ organisations, entrepreneurship and beyond. Across the hundreds of submissions, one thing was clear: there is an incredible depth of leadership across our communities. The quality was consistently high, reinforcing something we already know: the work is happening, even if mainstream recognition hasn’t caught up yet.

The final list of winners and highly commended individuals and organisations represents people who aren’t just doing good work, but actively dismantling barriers, building power and creating new possibilities for others.

You can explore the full list of Award Winners, Highly Commended recipients and our many Ones to Watch here.

Film by Femi Sami Studios