Earlier this year we launched a competition to find the most creative ways projects have acknowledged our funding. Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry; here are the impressive results.

First prize 

St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury

The judges were blown away by the creativity shown in St Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury’s entry to the competition. Designed to match the historic Grade I listed building, the acknowledgement stamp has been laser-etched onto glass and fitted into a birch ply laser-cut frame.

The round wooden shape reflects 16th and 17th-century roundels recently repaired and conserved in the church, and the beautiful fretwork design is inspired by the building's Victorian iron heating grills. The edge of the glass is lit using subtle LED lights. The whole piece is environmentally sustainable and uses recyclable materials.

The design was a collaboration between the Churches Conservation Trust and Andy McKeown of Wild Strawberry Interactive Multimedia Limited – a Shropshire-based new media artist.

The project

We awarded The Past, Present and Future of St Mary’s Stained Glass £246,883 in 2022. The project aimed to protect the church’s stained and painted glass and educate visitors on the collections. From conservation work on the stained glass windows and interpretation, to events, workshops and travel, sustainability and reducing waste were at the heart of the project.

The prize

We’re working with St Mary’s Church on a social media film that will be released later in the year.

Runners up

Hull Maritime

Hull Maritime included our acknowledgment stamp on a time capsule buried within the Maritime Museum. It's near where a conserved 113-year-old North Atlantic Right Whale skeleton will be mounted and displayed. 

The judges praised the unique approach to acknowledgement and the narrative it generated.  

Croxteth Hall and Walled Gardens

Using biodegradable materials, the team at Croxteth Hall and Walled Gardens created an 18m depiction of our acknowledgement stamp on the lawn.

The judges were impressed by the entry’s scale and the creative approach to acknowledgement so early in the project.

Shakespeare North Playhouse

Our acknowledgement stamp was reproduced in Elizabethan blackwork embroidery and displayed as part of a larger 10m tapestry at the Shakespeare North Playhouse. The tapestry was developed as part of a project which enabled 45 Community Curators to undertake 900 hours of research into Knowsley’s connection to Shakespeare.

The judges appreciated how much effort went into recreating the stamp in embroidery and the impact of the final display.  

Planning your acknowledgement?

We expect the projects we fund to acknowledge our support and thank the National Lottery players who make this possible. Find out how to do this by downloading our acknowledgement toolkit.