A group of unsung heroes from Leicestershire were honoured at the fourth annual Leicestershire First Awards ceremony.
Each of the award winners received a £3,000 prize which to spend on their projects.
Leicester's Soft Touch Community Arts was presented with the Judges Special Prize for their Mash Up project, which worked with 819 disadvantaged young people.
Sally Norman, co-director of the group, said: "I was very surprised and happy and it was a very nice acknowledgement.
"I am one of the two founder members of Soft Touch, which began 25 years ago, so it's very nice in that sense."
The project included taking its Beatmobile – a Citroen Xantia bought for £400, converted to look like the Batmobile, on to the streets of the city's estates.
Youngsters, attracted by its unusual look, were then invited to take part in music and art projects.
Police reported a reduction in crime during the project period.
About 170 young people took part in the activities and nine out of 10 gained a qualification or achieved accreditation.
Phil Saunders, of Leicester Stride, received the Citizenship Award.
Mr Saunders has devoted 18 years of his life to setting up and developing Stride, which offers training to unemployed and disadvantaged people of all ages.
It has more than 400 young people aged 14 to 19 on a wide range of City and Guilds training courses.
He said: "I'm delighted. It's great to be recognised, but it's not for me, it's the whole team of staff, learners and volunteers.
"We will use the money from the award to help with the training and welfare of the people who come to us which, in some cases, helps them develop skills to prevent them becoming homeless."
Sheila Cullinan won the Community Builder Award for her work matching volunteer mentors to young people at risk of offending. Joe Putt, of Leicester District Scouts, won the Young Achiever Award, for people aged under 25.
Other award-winners included Alistair Horn, the Volunteering Award winner, for his work with Community First Responders, who are trained to deliver initial first-aid in neighbourhood emergencies, as ambulance services race to reach the scene.
Celebrity fitness expert Rosemary Conley, BBC Radio Leicester's Monica Winfield, former High Sheriff of Leicestershire Freda Hussein, the current High Sheriff of Leicestershire Resham Singh Sandhu, and Leicester Mercury editor Keith Perch presented the awards at the ceremony at Leicester's Guildhall, along with Maurice Thompson, and his wife, Vivien.
Mr Thompson said: "Every one of these winners has done amazing work to make Leicestershire and Rutland better and safer.
"Leicestershire First rewards the leadership, the initiative and sheer unstinting hard work of the award-winners and others."