Two prominent charitable institutions, The Wood Foundation and The Suttie Foundation, have been named as joint principal sponsors of this year’s Celebrate Aberdeen Awards, an annual event that recognises and pays tribute to the positive impact individuals, organisations, and volunteers in the third sector make to thousands of lives across Aberdeen city and shire.

The awards, which will take place at The Chester Hotel on Saturday, October 31, are also being supported by members of the region’s business community – Cala Homes, Harbour Energy, Flexistore Aberdeen, Hampton, AXV Audio Visual, Breakwater and Aberdeen Inspired – many of them long-standing supporters, who have come on board as category sponsors.

Now in their seventh year, the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards are completely funded by sponsors and could not take place without their ongoing support. Thanks to their generosity, finalists and supporters will attend the gala event free of charge, ensuring that no-one is unable to attend because of cost.

Twenty-four finalists are shortlisted in eight categories – Large and Small Organisations of the Year, Volunteer/Fundraiser of the Year, Young Supporter of the Year, Campaign or Event of the Year, Team of the Year, Heart of the Community and Community Impact of the Year.

“These awards provide a rare and incredibly important opportunity to showcase some of the very best examples that third sector organisations and individuals make towards the rich fabric of life across our region,” said Celebrate Aberdeen Awards event director Emily Findlay. “Their contributions impact positively on thousands of lives, making real and significant differences for the better.

“But none of this would be possible without the support we get from our sponsors. We are entirely dependent on their generosity and without them the event simply could not take place as we don’t receive funding from any other source. We’re extremely grateful to them and we’re very fortunate that they see the merit in recognising our third sector and all that they do for the rest of us.”

The Celebrate Aberdeen events, both the awards and the parade in August, are run entirely by a small team of volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year to plan and run the various activities.

“Since forming, The Suttie Foundation has spoken to many charities across Aberdeen and the North-east and heard first-hand about the important work they are doing to improve people’s lives,” said Dorothy Suttie. “We want to continue supporting charities in their endeavours and helping them build on the great work already happening across our region.

"We’re pleased to be joining The Wood Foundation as joint principal sponsors of the awards and to support an evening that recognises the very best of the third sector in our area. It’s our first time working together in this way, but we share the same values and a belief in supporting the fantastic charities we have across the North-east. Well done to everyone nominated, and we hope it’s a brilliant night of collaboration and celebration.”

Sarah Chew, CEO of The Wood Foundation, said: “The Wood Foundation and The Suttie Foundation share a strong commitment to creating opportunities and supporting positive change across our communities, making this first collaboration between our two organisations particularly meaningful. "We’re proud to be supporting an evening that recognises the people and organisations making a real difference across the region. We know how important support can be to charities, particularly at a time when many are working hard to create opportunities and make a difference with limited resources. That’s something that is very close to The Wood Foundation’s own work and was one of the reasons behind the launch of the Lady Helen Wood Fund earlier this year. "We’re looking forward to celebrating this year’s finalists and winners and sharing what promises to be a fantastic evening at The Chester.”

To find out more and to see the list of 2026 finalists, visit www.celebrate-aberdeen.org/news-blogs/finalists-announced-for-2026-celebrate-aberdeen-awards