Sandford St Martin Trust
Why religious broadcasting?
In our increasingly divided and fast-changing world, understanding what people believe has never been more important.
Religion – whether you’re a believer or not – shapes not just how the vast majority of the world’s population view their place in the world, but also how they view yours.
At the Sandford St Martin Trust we believe religious literacy is a basic skill every citizen needs. Thought-provoking, high-quality media that engages with faith, ethics and spirituality are essential to building a healthy, informed, and cohesive society.
Discover why leading media figures and past award winners like Jimmy McGovern, Frank Cottrell Boyce, and Lyse Doucet think religious broadcasting is important. Read our blog for more or watch the 2026 awards ceremony overture below to get a flavour of the inspirational content championed by the Sandford St Martin Trust.
Outreach and advocacy
The BBC is at a pivotal moment. With Charter renewal on the horizon, rapid changes in the media landscape, and the future of the licence fee under debate, decisions made now will shape the broadcaster for years to come.
As part of these discussions, we’d like to hear your views on the BBC’s coverage of religion and belief:
How do you feel about the BBC’s coverage of religion?
What does it do well?
Where could it improve?
When it comes to issues of faith and belief, do you trust the BBC?
Please email your thoughts to info@sandfordawards.org.uk by 17 August. We’ll ensure your views are shared with the parliamentarians and policymakers involved in the BBC Charter Review.
You can also read more about why we’re asking these questions in our latest blog: When it comes to religion, do you trust the BBC?.
The Sandford St Martin Awards
The Sandford St Martin 2026 Award Winners announced!
For almost 50 years the Sandford St Martin Awards have celebrated excellent broadcasting about belief, ethics and spirituality; you can peruse our impressive roll call of past winners in our awards archive here. Our judges are particularly interested in content which promotes religious literacy and a deeper understanding across communities—whether religious or not.
Catch up on all the highlights from the 2026 awards ceremony here, including photos from the ceremony and messages from our winners, or see the full list of shortlisted entries with links to watch and listen again. And if you’ve made inspirational content exploring belief or ethics that was broadcast during 2026, #sandford2027 opens for entries in November! Sign up to our newsletter to be notified.