Awards embody the spirit of the late chief executive of LEAF
Entries have opened for this year’s Caroline Drummond Award - Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence.
Set up in memory of the former LEAF chief executive, who passed away in 2022, the award recognises an individual who personifies the passion and drive to advance more sustainable farming, communicating that to peers, the wider food chain and the public. The award is open to farmers and other individuals involved in the industry.
As well as LEAF, the award is supported by The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists and The Institute of Agricultural Management, both of which Drummond had a close involvement with.
“I am immensely proud of Caroline’s achievements with LEAF. These include a pathway to sustainable farming, excellent communication both inside and outside the agricultural world and posing questions about the type of food we should be growing to meet the needs of our customers,” said Drummond’s husband Philip Ward.
“She did this with positivity, a willingness to work with other organisations and a desire to always do what she thought was right in order to work towards achieving her goals.
“Winners of this award demonstrate many of these qualities. Hopefully this year we will see more shining examples of people who can, in their own way, help to move farming in the right direction. I look forward to seeing this year’s entries and hope they cheer me up as much as they did last time as I read about so many people doing good things!”
Entry procedure
Applicants can enter themselves or be nominated by others, and evidence of the impact they have had will be required. That impact can be at a local, national or international level.
Entrants can be an individual representing their own farm or a leader of a business or institutional team. They will need to demonstrate how they have communicated that commitment to a wider audience, whether that is farmers, the food and retail industry, policymakers, pupils/students, the wider public, media or others.
The award is open to farmers, environmentalists, those involved in the agricultural supply chain, teachers/lecturers, scientists, policymakers, businesses or institutional leaders, members of NGOs, influencers, or any others meeting the criteria.
Entrants do not need to have a high national or international profile, with judges looking for exceptional impact on the audience the entrant interacts with, especially those who have been previously unsung.
The judging panel will consist of representatives of The British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, The Institute of Agricultural Management, LEAF and Drummond’s widower Philip Ward.
The recipient will be invited to key British Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Institute of Agricultural Management and LEAF events in late 2025, where they will be presented with the trophy.
Entrants have until 31 August 2025 to submit their entries to Cedric Porter.
