Mart's The Heart Categories
Mart's The Heart Awards 2025
Auctions and auctioneers are essential to the health and wellbeing of any farm business with livestock, and auctioneers are, in many ways, at the forefront of the livestock industry. Their purpose is to bring farmers together, to achieve the best price for whatever they are selling, and they are therefore an intrinsic part of the industry.
The Mart's the Heart awards were launched in 2015. The campaign proved to be an outstanding success and was incredibly well received and supported. Last year's Awards was record-breaking, with 450 nominations and 20,000 votes cast across the 3 categories.
Now in its tenth year, the Farmers Guardian Mart's the Heart Awards 2025 will launch on the 2nd May 2025.
New Auctioneer of the Year
This award aims to identify and reward trainee and newly qualified auctioneers (within five years of qualifying), based on their skills, attitude and contribution to the agricultural community.
New Auctioneer of the Year entries can be put forward by marts, farmers, colleagues and the auctioneers themselves. The final winner will be selected by a combination of public votes, the strength of nominations and personal summary and by the opinion of the panel of judges.
This category is now closed
Auction Mart of the Year
This award aims to identify and acknowledge the driven and progressive auction houses who serve their farming communities by generally stepping up to the plate, demonstrating they are keeping their marts alive with new initiatives and revamped sales, and using various platforms and technology to keep people linked to sales.
Nominations can come from anyone. A judging panel will select four finalists, and Farmers Guardian readers will be asked to vote (in paper and online) for their favourite, based on a summary about each of them.
The final winner will be selected by a combination of public votes, the strength of nominations, overall personal summary and by opinion of the panel of judges.
This category is now closed
Auction Café of the Year
We are looking for the UK’s premier auction café – the centre of mart life. It doesn’t matter whether it is small or large, we are looking for a café which is a central hub for the market and produces great quality food, using British products, at a reasonable price.
Whether it’s a top cuppa or a great lunch, we are seeking nominations to identify and reward the UK’s best mart café. Auction Café of the Year entries can be put forward by marts themselves, farmers, or café staff themselves. The final winner will be selected by a combination of public votes and the feedback from last year's winner.
This category is now closed
More than just a Mart
This year, in celebration of 10 years of the Marts The Heart awards the More Than a Mart award will go to a market which has demonstrated that it is much more than just a place to sell livestock.
This might be because of the additional services it provides at the mart, such as health clinics, raising money for charity, sharing its facilities with other sectors of the community, hosting events which benefit both farmers and the wider public or how the staff go the extra mile.
Nominations can be made by the marts themselves, farmers or other customers and the winner will be selected by the judging panel. Nominated markets will be expected to provide a summary including: Examples of how the mart has gone above and beyond their usual role to cement a place in the heart of the rural community, events they have been involved with or organised, charity fund raising or additonal services they provide or anything which makes the mart stand out from the crowd.
This category is now closed
Livestock Auctioneer Association
“The Livestock Auctioneers’ Association is delighted to sponsor the awards, which acknowledge the role auctioneers and their businesses play in the livestock industry and the wider agricultural and rural community, a key part of which includes ensuring farmers get a fair and true price for their stock, whilst at the same time providing the farming community with a valuable and strong social hub. This is a great opportunity to recognise the role auctions play within the industry..”
CHRIS DODDS Executive secretary,
Shearwell Data
“Shearwell Data is delighted to be continuing its support of the Mart’s the Heart Awards. Livestock markets are an integral part of the livestock farming community. Not only are livestock markets a place of business, but also a space where farmers can seek advice and see friends. Livestock markets and the live sale rings are key to a buoyant and competitive livestock farming sector and the future of the UK red meat sector.”
RICHARD WEBBER Director, Shearwell Data.