Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2026: Tips on writing nominations

The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards are an opportunity to celebrate our fantastic colleagues in all areas of our staff community whose brilliant work makes a difference – to colleagues’ working lives, to our students’ experience, to our local community and beyond.  

Nominations for this year’s VC Awards open in a week’s time – from Monday 20 April to Friday 8 May, anyone in our staff community can submit nominations recognising their colleagues and the difference they make every day. You can nominate both teams and individuals, and you can submit multiple nominations if you wish. 

We know that it’s a busy time, so if you would like to start thinking about your nominations already, we have compiled some tips to help you get started.

Your nominees don’t have to lead highly visible projects. So many colleagues work behind the scenes, making a huge difference that doesn’t always come to light, and the VC Awards are a chance to recognise them too.

“Being able to nominate these people or teams is a way for us to say thank you, show them they are noticed and that their outstanding contribution is very much appreciated”, said Lisa Smith, who nominated a previous winner.  

You are probably thinking of someone as you read this, so why not nominate them?  

You only have a maximum of 200 words to show how your nominees have made an impact for their respective categories, so keep your points sharp. Make sure you use a few examples or scenarios as supporting evidence, and directly address the criteria used to describe each category. These real-life examples can truly help your nominees shine.  

If you need more information or data, ask someone in their team for help – nominations can be just as collaborative as our day-to-day work.  

If you are looking for inspiration, previous awards brochures are a great place to start. They include information on the impact made by each shortlisted nominee, all based on original nominations written by colleagues who wanted to recognise and celebrate their work.  

If you have colleagues you would like to nominate in mind, it’s important not to assume that someone else will nominate them; and even if you do nominate the same person, the nominations won’t be the same. Their work could have had a unique impact on your area, or you may know their work in a way that no one else does – and your understanding could be exactly what helps the panel choose your nominee to win. 

Being recognised and celebrated by colleagues is a fantastic feeling when we are all so busy delivering one project after another. But you don’t have to take it from us – watch the video below where previous winners say how much nominations meant to them:  

We will share the nomination form via email and on SUSSED from  Monday 20 April. Until then, you can find out more about this year’s categories on the VC Awards SharePoint site. 

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