Holyrood Green Giant Awards 2022

Following the success of the inaugural Green Giant Awards at our COP26 Fringe Festival in 2021, this November Holyrood Events will once again be celebrating the best within Scotland’s climate change movement.

The awards ceremony will take place on day one of our 2-day Climate Emergency Summit. The Summit will focus on the policies, actions and track record of the Scottish and UK Governments and the wider world in delivering on the commitments made in the Glasgow Climate Pact. As the festival and awards will coincide with COP27 in Egypt, we will consider how this looks to build on Glasgow to meet the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

In contrast to these substantial discussions, the awards ceremony and ceilidh will be an opportunity to celebrate the excellence and hard work, within the climate change movement in Scotland. The Holyrood Green Giant Awards is all about highlighting some of the outstanding achievements of those working across the public, private and third sectors to deliver a net-zero nation by 2045. It’s a chance to let our hair down, have a bit of fun, and dance the night away at the popular post-awards ceilidh! The awards will be hosted renowned Scottish comedian Craig Hill!

To judge the awards shortlist, we assembled some of the most respected voices from across Scotland, who have made their own distinctive contributions to tackling climate change and restoring and enhancing the natural world. This includes last year’s Lifetime Achievement winner, Professor James Curran MBE, who  will be joined by:

Chris Stark, Chief Executive, Committee on Climate Change
Professor Janette Webb, Co-Director, UK Energy Research Centre & Chair, UK Committee on Climate Change 2016 Advisory Group on Energy Efficiency and Heat
Gina Hanrahan, Head of Policy & Advocacy, WWF Scotland
Emma Yule, Operations, 2050 Climate Group
Dr Deborah Long, Chief Officer, Scottish Environment LINK

The winners have now been announced!

Youth Champion Award: Dr Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data

Technology & Innovation Award: Circular Disposal of Wind Turbine Blades – ReBlade Limited

Scotland’s Champion Award: Elizabeth Leighton, Secretariat, Climate Emergency Response Group

Diversity & Inclusion Award: The Glasgow Barons

Nature & the Environment Award: Aline Finger and Martine Borge, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Lifetime Achievement Award: Claudia Beamish

Youth Champion Award

This award focuses on the work of young people in galvanizing the climate change movement in Scotland. This award will recognise and promote young people who have made a significant contribution to Climate Justice and to the inclusion of Climate Justice in education.

Shortlist:
George Gunn
WINNER: Dr Hannah Ritchie
Blue Sandford

Technology and Innovation Award

This award recognises an individual, team or organisation that has demonstrated outstanding work in the field of climate technology. The nominees have all utilised technology to deliver services in ways that improve sustainability and reduce emissions or develop potential solutions to the effects of the climate emergency.

Shortlist:
EGG Lighting
WINNER: Circular Disposal of Wind Turbine Blades - ReBlade Limited
Intelligent Growth Solutions

Scotland’s Champion Award

This award recognises individuals who have demonstrated a significant contribution to Climate Justice in Scotland or from Scotland to the world. This includes being an exemplar of Scotland’s world-leading net-zero climate agenda or leading the way in facilitating a Just Transition for industries or communities to a zero-emissions future as the Commission’s final recommendations are published.

Shortlist:
Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST)
WINNER: Elizabeth Leighton
Dr Sarah Ivory

**Diversity and Inclusion Award in association with Lloyds Banking Group**

This award recognises an individual, team, group or network that has shown dedication to improving diversity and inclusion in climate action. This could be through initiating and leading efforts to remove barriers and improve the working experience, engagement and representation levels of minority or marginalised groups in climate justice spaces, or by demonstrating excellence in delivering services to minority or marginalised groups in climate justice spaces.

Shortlist:
WINNER: The Glasgow Barons
Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST)
SWECO in partnership with the International Green Academy

Nature and the Environment Award in association with Zero Waste Scotland

This award recognises the incredible work being done by groups or organisations to protect and enhance Scotland’s natural capital and biodiversity.

Shortlist:
Helping farmers and landowners understand how they can improve nature on their land, and tackle the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss - The CivTech Programme, Scottish Government with NatureScot and Sabbio

Step Change, by Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)

WINNER: Aline Finger and Martine Borge, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognises and promotes an individual who has made a significant contribution to Climate Justice over a sustained period of time.

Awarded to Claudia Beamish

Craig Hill is a household name as Scotland’s brightest comedy star. Cheeky, irreverent and, of course, wonderfully camp, his hilarious blend of incisive stand-up, fabulous musical characterisations and improvisation has earned him rave reviews around the globe.

Much-loved from BBC’s “Live Floor Show” and his own BBC show “Craig Hill’s Out Tonight”, 2022 sees Craig achieve 22 years of performing sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and also touring all over the UK and internationally.

Craig has also been invited to act as an international ambassador representing all the festivals in Edinburgh (including the Fringe and the International) for high-profile gala nights in New York and Toronto, regularly hosts the Hogmanay street party event in Inverness, has performed at the London Palladium and hosted star-studded, variety show ‘Forbidden Vaudeville’ especially produced for Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s prestigious Sydmonton Festival.

Prof. James Curran MBE FRSE