The awards have a new name, but the same heart. What began in 2010 as the BME Achievement Awards is today the Tees Valley EDI Awards, and while the title has evolved, the reason the awards exist has not changed at all: to celebrate the people and organisations advancing equality, diversity and inclusion across our region, and to make sure the communities too often overlooked are seen and celebrated.
How the BME Achievement Awards began
The BME Achievement Awards were founded in 2010 to recognise the achievements of Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals, businesses and organisations across Tees Valley. At a time when that contribution was rarely acknowledged in the mainstream, the awards created a night that put it centre stage, honouring community champions, entrepreneurs, young leaders and lifelong servants of the region.
From the very first ceremony, the idea was simple: recognition matters. Celebrating achievement in public tells a community it belongs, and shows the next generation what is possible.
Why the name changed to the EDI Awards
As the awards grew, so did the conversation around them. Equality, diversity and inclusion had become the language organisations across Tees Valley were using to describe the work of building a fairer region. Renaming the BME Achievement Awards as the Tees Valley EDI Awards reflected that shift and widened the tent, welcoming more of the people and organisations driving change, while keeping the awards firmly rooted in the communities they were created to serve.
The new name is broader, but it is not a departure. It is the same commitment, expressed in the words the region now uses.
Why the mission hasn’t changed
Strip away the title and the purpose is identical to 2010. The Tees Valley EDI Awards still exist to champion diverse communities, still shine a light on achievement that might otherwise go unnoticed, and still create role models who inspire the people coming up behind them. The categories have grown and the audience has broadened, but the mission is the one the awards were founded on: celebrate the people making Tees Valley fairer, kinder and more inclusive.
A growing roll of honour
Every year adds new names to the story. From community champions to business leaders, from young changemakers to recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the roll of honour has become a record of the region’s diversity and its generosity. You can look back over the years of winners on the previous winners page, and explore the full range of what the awards celebrate today in the award categories.
More than an awards night
From the beginning, the awards have been about more than a trophy and a photograph. The ceremony brings community leaders, businesses and public bodies into one room, so partnerships form and stories are shared that carry on long after the night itself. For the businesses that sponsor and attend, it has always been a genuine way to stand behind the communities they work in, not a logo on a banner but real support for the region. That role has only grown as the awards have, and it is a big part of why they still matter today.
The story continues in 2026
The next chapter is being written now. Nominations for the 2026 Tees Valley EDI Awards are open until 2 October 2026, and the ceremony takes place on Friday 16 October 2026 at Digital Life, Teesside University. Whether you first knew these awards as the BME Achievement Awards or you are meeting them for the first time as the EDI Awards, the invitation is the same: be part of it.
Read more about the awards, or nominate someone who deserves to be celebrated. The name may have changed, but the mission is exactly where it started.
