“Local impact on the world stage with global amplification” - F1 Allwyn Global Community Awards kick off in Montréal

The awards celebrate organisations and initiatives which make a meaningful and positive impact on local communities that are connected to Formula 1, the race locations and the race promoters. They shine a light on people and organisations whose work, because it is local, often happens quietly, behind the scenes, while still creating real social value and long-term impact.

We asked Pavel Turek, one of the Award judges and Allwyn’s Chief Officer, Global Partnerships, to give us the why and the how.

Why are communities important?

At Allwyn, communities are at the heart of what we do and of our business model, with lottery proceeds supporting communities every day, across multiple territories and countries. Promoting this concept within Formula 1 is a natural extension of what we do and who we are. I think communities matter because they create opportunity, resilience, and social connection, plus they improve people's everyday life.

And why Formula 1?

It's one of the world's fastest-growing global sports, a platform with enormous reach and emotional engagement. You have glamour, technology and innovation, and then you have the Grands Prix themselves, which have a real impact on local communities. With the awards we look to find something behind that glamour and technology. Such a powerful environment makes it easier to first of all, recognise, and secondly, amplify the positive initiatives and give them global visibility. The net result is local impact on a world stage with global amplification.

"We produced some very powerful local stories around the race weekends and helped to strengthen the connection between Formula 1 and the communities in the hosting countries"

The Canadian Grand Prix is the first event of 2026 to feature this award: why did you choose it?

Canada is an absolutely natural choice because there is a strong culture of community engagement and social innovation. The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the most iconic on the calendar and the fans who attend are inclusive, international and very passionate. The city of Montréal is multicultural, the people have a passion for the sport and really embrace all the events that take place over the four days, so it I would say it was a very natural choice.

Last year was the first for this awards scheme. Did it achieve what you thought it would?

2025 was very successful because the awards really generated a positive impact and a lot of engagement. We produced some very powerful local stories around the race weekends and helped to strengthen the connection between Formula 1 and the communities in the hosting countries. Importantly, we also had positive feedback from fans and various partners, stakeholders, as well as from the media, so it was positively recognised as an authentic purpose-driven initiative.

This year you are doubling the number of events at which the F1 Allwyn Global Community Awards will feature. What has driven that growth?

Yes, the scheme is expanding, and not only in geographical terms, but also strategically. We are aiming to present an award at even more Grands Prix, with more communities involved. The programmes will definitely become more integrated with Formula 1’s activation platform. And again, we are simply following the positive response from different stakeholders. With this move, we are trying to make this scheme a truly global initiative.

"I like to think the Community Award can be a source of inspiration for other organisations"

The Montréal award is going to La Tablée des Chefs. What do they do and why were they selected?

Their stated mission is to feed and educate, and to fight against food insecurity. Since 2002, La Tablée des Chef has distributed over 26.4 million cooked portions to community organisations and has introduced 95,000 young people to cooking and healthy eating habits. Reducing food waste is one of their priorities and this weekend the organisation will be fully embedded into the Grand Prix event, working with the race promoter. Volunteers will collect surplus food from catering activities at the circuit and then distribute it to underprivileged, vulnerable people. I think it is an absolutely great example of an integration, and this is something with a huge potential to maybe lead by example for other Grand Prix promoters. It absolutely fulfils the criteria for these awards and it will have a very tangible impact across the weekend.

The F1 Allwyn Global Community Awards are clearly going to reach a wider audience this year, so what’s the long-term goal for the project?

We hope to be a source of inspiration for other organisations and to encourage people to think about their local communities and identify ways they can help drive meaningful social change. As an official partner of Formula 1, Allwyn would also like to invite other stakeholders, including teams, drivers, and of course fans, to support these initiatives, even if it’s simply through liking and sharing the messaging. Our ambition is to take the work we already do every day across the territories in which we operate to create lasting positive impact in local communities, and amplify that impact on a global scale.