To our community and everyone who has shown up for this work. We want to talk to you directly.
Over the past few weeks, we have been having difficult but important conversations with the people closest to Unite UnderOne. And now we want to bring that same honesty to you.
The Unite UnderOne D&I Awards and Festival will not be going ahead in 2026.
We know that’s hard to read. It was hard to write. And it was one of the hardest decisions we have had to make.
Why we’re telling you this
Because you deserve to hear it from us, clearly, honestly, and without spin.
This was not a decision born from a lack of belief in the work. Quite the opposite. The belief has never been stronger. What we have built together, the conversations started, the talent spotlighted, the organisations held accountable, the community convened, that is real and it is lasting.
But Unite UnderOne has always stood for doing things with integrity. We would never want to deliver an experience that doesn’t fully honour the community it is meant to serve. And right now, due to circumstances beyond our control, we cannot do that to the standard this community deserves.
So we chose the harder road. We paused.
What this is — and what it isn’t
This is not the end of Unite UnderOne.
This is not a retreat from the work.
This is a deliberate, values-led pause, taken so that when we return, we return stronger and with an experience that lives up to everything this community has shown it’s capable of.
The response we have received since sharing this news privately has genuinely moved us. But overwhelmingly, the message has been: we believe in what you’re building. Take the time. Come back stronger.
That is exactly what we intend to do.
What we’re still here for
A pause on the Awards and Festival does not mean a pause on what matters.
Unite UnderOne was built on a simple conviction: that inclusion and belonging deserve more than box-ticking. That conviction is unchanged. This pause is not about finding our footing, it’s about protecting the integrity of something worth protecting. The community, the work, and the vision are all still here.
We are open
To collaboration. To conversation. To community.
If you are an organisation that wants to explore what working together looks like, we want to hear from you.
If you have benefited from this space, want to help shape what comes next, or simply want to stay connected, we want to hear from you.
Thank you
To everyone who has been part of this, in any way, at any stage. You know who you are.
What we have built together is real and we are forever grateful.
The Unite UnderOne Team
