THE ORRI AWARD

Find out more about ‘The Orri’ award and how to apply below

NASF Orri Award logo with a fish, water, and text.

The inaugural ‘Orri’ award launched in September 2025, celebrating exceptional salmon conservation efforts with both recognition and funding to support the recipient’s work.

Established to honour Orri Vigfússon — our late founder and award-winning salmon conservationist — ‘The Orri’ funds British, direct-action, community-based salmon conservation projects.

‘The Orri’ aims to identify and promote scalable projects that can be implemented nationally, fostering a collaborative and innovative approach to salmon conservation in the UK.

By supporting effective local initiatives, the award seeks to inspire broader efforts and share best practice within the conservation community.

Acting as both an incubator and promoter of innovative ideas, the award helps accelerate positive change in local salmon conservation initiatives — focusing on scalable, replicable projects with the potential for significant national impact

Applications for the 2025 Orri Award are now closed.

The 2026 Orri Award will open for applications in autumn 2026.

If you would like to apply, or know a project that might be suitable, subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear when applications open.

Scroll down for further details about the application process.

Successful projects can receive up to £10,000, with additional support to match-fund projects up to £20,000 through our community crowdfunding programme.

The application form takes less than an hour to complete.

THE ORRI AWARD

‘The Orri’ award winner(s) receive match funding of up to £10,000 from us, at a 1:1 ratio (up to £20,000 in total), alongside a package of promotional support for their Crowdfunder campaign.

Our bespoke support includes assistance with multimedia creation and fundraising strategy, helping to ensure a successful Crowdfunder campaign.

‘The Orri’ award also encourages collaboration between local community projects that may currently be fragmented. Applicants commit to sharing their successes and learnings for the benefit of the wider community, ensuring that everyone benefits from shared knowledge.

Below you will find an ‘All You Need to Know’ downloadable guide, outlining our eligibility requirements, assessment criteria, application questions, important dates and the steps in the Orri Award process.

Our goal is to provide clear guidance for applicants and ensure that the most impactful and sustainable projects receive the recognition and support they deserve.

If you have any questions please do email us — we would be very happy to help.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW (PDF DOWNLOAD)
A North Atlantic Salmon jumping out of rushing white water in a river.

APPLYING FOR THE ORRI AWARD GRANT

Before applying to ‘The Orri’ award please read the ‘All you need to know’ information which contains the eligibility criteria.

Then if you have a suitable project and meet the eligibility criteria, please do apply to ‘The Orri’ award by simply clicking the button below and answering a few questions.

We look forward to finding out about you, your organisation and the project you have in mind to help conserve our beloved North Atlantic Salmon.

APPLY ONLINE

 FAQs

  • The Orri is open to individuals, organizations, and groups actively involved in salmon conservation within the United Kingdom. Both established entities and grassroots initiatives are encouraged to apply, provided the project targets UK salmon populations and involves direct conservation actions. Applicants must not have accepted funds from the open net pen salmon farming industry or any other companies that threaten wild salmon. 

  • Projects must involve direct action in salmon conservation and demonstrate a tangible impact on local salmon populations. We are particularly interested in initiatives that are scalable and can be implemented on a national level if successful.

    Projects should also show potential for long-term sustainability and collaboration with local communities and other organizations. 

  • Applications will be assessed based on several key criteria: 

    Proposed Future Actions: Clarity of objectives, feasibility, potential impact, resource management, and the substantial impact of ‘The Orri’ funding. 

    Overall Contribution to Conservation: Demonstrated or planned leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and community involvement in salmon conservation. 

    Scalability: The potential for the project to be scaled or replicated in other regions. 

    Marketing and Momentum: Plans for gaining visibility and excitement about the project through effective marketing and publicity strategies. 

  • The winning project will receive a grant of up to £10,000 in match funding at a 1:1 ratio (in total up to £20 000).

    The funds should be used to support and enhance the project's conservation efforts, with a focus on scaleability and the potential to serve as a blueprint for other conservation initiatives.

    The award is intended to have a substantial impact on the project’s success and overall funding. 

  • Open for Applications: September 8 2025 

    Applicant guidance: Three webinars hosted by NASF (UK) for applicants in September/October 2025 (including Q&A).

    Shortlisting: 17th October, shortlisting of up to 5 projects.

    Virtual pitch: Finalists attend a virtual pitch on 25th October.

    Winner(s) announced: October 29th.

    Crowdfunding campaign preparation: NASF (UK) support package commences November 3rd.

    Crowdfunding campaign launches for ‘The Orri’ winning project: for 4-6 weeks from January (5th -12th TBC).

    These dates outline the timeline from application submission to the launch of ‘The Orri’ project winner’s Crowdfunder Campaign — including a package of support from NASF (UK).

    Please ensure your application is submitted within the specified dates to be considered for the award.