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About the awards

The North East HR&D Awards raise the profile of the HR&D profession across the region and celebrate the value that HR&D can deliver in improving work and working lives.

The awards showcase practitioners in the region in HR, L&D and other emerging specialisms, whilst also championing the diversity of organisations in the region delivering excellent HR&D.

The 2026 event will take place on Thursday 11th June 2026 at The Fed, Gateshead.

The Categories


HR&D Team of the Year

Excellence in Apprenticeships

Excellence in Talent Attraction & Employer Brand

Excellence in Reward & Benefits

Excellence in SME People Practice

Excellence in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Excellence through Positive Impact

Excellence in Organisational & People Development

Excellence in Leadership Development

Excellence in Health & Wellbeing

Excellence in People & Technology

Excellence in Supporting Armed Forces Talent



Meet the judges

The judging panel, whose members also make up the North East Work & Talent Advisory Board (NEWT), is a group of professionals working within a range of sectors with a shared interest in ensuring the North East builds and maintains its profile as a great place to live and work and has the talent pipeline it needs to thrive. 



Click here to find out more
The Awards Evening

Date: Thursday 11 June 2026

Venue: The Fed, Gateshead

Times: 6.15pm Drinks Reception, 7.00pm Formalities Start, 11.00pm Formalities Close, Late Bar until 1.00am!

Dress code: Black Tie


Hosts

Kirsten O'Brien & Kema Kay

 


Charity
We are delighted to be fundraising to support the work of Community Foundation North East's Women and Girls Fund.

For more than 25 years, donors to the North East Women and Girls Fund have stood shoulder to shoulder with women in our communities.

In this era of polarised views, an erosion of the advancements made for women and a heightened focus on the impact of policy decisions disproportionately affecting women and girls, the grassroots community projects supported by the Fund have never been needed more – helping to ensure that all women benefit as our society changes.

The North East Women and Girls Fund (originally called The Women’s Fund) was established in 1999 by Dame Margaret Barbour, with an initial donation of £250,000 from the Barbour Trust. Dame Margaret had a vision that the Fund would be a collective endeavour enabling local people to support women in our region. The good work supported by the Fund is needed more than ever and we’d welcome your support.


Treephies
As we’ve done in previous years, instead of handing out the usual glass block awards, we will be awarding the winners with ‘Treephies’.

Working with Rural Partners UK, NET will be planting a tree for each winner, up in the stunning surroundings of the Coquet Valley in Northumberland. The trees make a positive contribution to the environment, support wildlife and offer a legacy that will grow and bloom over decades to come.

Rural Partners are based at Park House Farm, Harbottle - an organic farm on the edge of the Northumberland National Park in the upper reaches of the Coquet Valley. The farm has been organic since 2006 and is managed in an environmentally sensitive manner. Protecting and enhancing our ecosystems is fully embedded at the core of their values. The farm is home to a diverse range of fauna and flora, with permanent species-rich pasture, woodland and scrubland, and historic upland hay meadows on the banks of the Coquet River. They are very proud to protect some of the UK's endangered, red-listed and amber-listed species.
  
  


Venue & Parking
The awards dinner will be taking place at The Fed in Gateshead
Website: the-fed.co.uk
Address: Lancaster Road, Dunston, Gateshead, NE11 9JR
Parking: Free parking is available on-site