Staff Awards

Lecturer of the Year 

This will be awarded to a Lecturer who has achieved excellent student attendance, learner engagement and achievement rates. They will actively build strong employer links and provide a great learning experience and career opportunities. The Lecturer will have made a significant contribution to improving quality and outcomes. They will also have contributed to improved learner outcomes and demonstrated outstanding classroom practice. 

Curriculum Team of the Year 

This team will have worked well together showing collegiate spirit and collaboration, they will have shared good practice throughout the College and had exemplary teaching.

Best New Course 22/23

This award recognises a new course to the 22/23 college courses which has had a positive impact on the student experience at the college.

Excellence in Teaching Innovation

This award recognises, celebrates, and promotes excellence in learning and teaching initiatives that impact positively on the student experience in creative and innovative ways. 

Project Based Learning Champion

This will be awarded to a lecturer who has demonstrated a commitment to PBL and who have incorporated project-based learning pedagogy into or across their courses, demonstrating a positive impact on student learning.

Entrepreneurship Award 

This will be awarded to a team or individual in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the research, teaching, or practice of entrepreneurship and/or increased the visibility and development of entrepreneurship within the College and wider community and/or developed or enhanced the professionalism, impact, or effectiveness of the Entrepreneurship Hub within the College. 

Professional Services Member of the Year

This will be awarded to the Professional Services team member who is an ‘unsung hero’ and frequently goes the extra mile to achieve not just within their own area, but in other areas.  They will produce a consistently high standard of work and take pride in their role both at departmental and wider college level.   

Professional Services Team of the Year 

This will be awarded to a team in recognition of their outstanding contribution to engagement and collaboration internally and/or external to the College. They will have shown significant engagement with stakeholders that has provided new or improved collaborative working opportunities for the College, staff and/or students.  As well as engagement with new ideas and sectors which have previously been unexplored, either internally to the College or with external stakeholders. 

Excellence in the Community and Society

This will be awarded to team or individual in recognition of their outstanding contribution to engagement with the community and society external to the College and through this demonstrated excellent social responsibility.  This could be, for example, through community or charity work.

Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience

This award is in recognition of an individual or team who have enhanced the student experience through their mentoring and support.

New Start of the Year 

This will be awarded to a colleague who has joined the College since August 2023 and made an immediate impression. The person will have integrated into college life, built fantastic relationships, and has a can-do attitude when faced with new challenges.  

Team Player of the Year

This will be awarded to a Team Player to recognise and encourage collaboration.  They will actively contribute to their own team and across college teams to meet goals and manage projects.  They actively listen to their colleagues, respect ideas and aim to make improvements for everyone.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Champion  

A member of staff who has championed and advanced equality, diversity, and inclusion. This team member will have exhibited an outstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and has demonstrated exemplary contributions to developing a culturally diverse and welcoming college community reflective of inclusive excellence.

Leadership Award 

The Leadership Award is given to a manager, member of senior management team or member of senior leadership team who exemplifies significant leadership skills such as the ability to lead, help and guide staff, develop staff talents and successfully manage an efficient and effective team at the highest level; has promoted teamwork and collaboration across the college; has worked quietly behind the scenes to improve working relationships within the college; and who has consistently done so with a positive attitude.

How to write a nomination entry for Staff Awards 2023

The Citation

Describe what is special about your candidate’s achievements and explain persuasively how and where they have made a difference.  Make it clear that their activities are not referring to their actual job role – that it is above and beyond what they are paid to do.

What should you include?

The most important thing is to provide evidence of what they’ve done and how they’ve made things better for others. Every citation is different. But it must tell the story of what the candidate or team has done and put it into context for a reader who won’t necessarily have detailed knowledge of the subject.

A good opening sentence that summarises the case is helpful. What’s the one thing the committee needs to know about the individual?

Show how your candidate/team has demonstrated outstanding service or improved the quality of a service, for example:

• contributed in a distinctive way to improving success rates of their students moving from 57% in 2020 to 87% in 2021
• devoted themselves to sustained and selfless voluntary service raising £4000 for  local charity through sponsored run, car boot sale;
• shown innovation or creativity in delivering lasting results, by actively engaging with the community to publicise their course. Information flyers designed by students and delivered to local hairdressers and beauty salons, handing out flyers in local shopping precinct.  Record number of registrations for academic year 2022, now running two classes each with 25 students, compared to one class in 2021 with 18 students.

A good nomination should also describe as vividly and precisely as possible the difference their contribution has made. For example:

• how were things before they began?
• how are they now? Why are things better?
• what makes your candidate different from others doing the same thing?
• what has the impact been?
• when did they carry out the activity and why should they be recognised now? (And particularly: is there a time factor involved – an anniversary, a launch, a particular target reached or some other success?)

Give details to support these claims. Show how the person/team has:

• earned the respect of their peers and become a role model in their field;
• produced, perhaps against the odds, sustained achievement which has required moral courage, vision, the ability to make tough choices or determined application and hard work.

Take care always to support any assertions with hard evidence - if possible provide statistics, photographs, recordings. Do not just say that an achievement has had a widespread effect: describe what that effect has been and show why it has been important.

For example:

“The hospital was notorious, with many cases of MRSA, dirty wards, and an attitude that patients were a nuisance. She arrived and worked hard to improve standards over a two-year period by instilling pride in her staff and giving bonuses for those staff with clean wards where efficiency and a helpful attitude were the norm, not the exception. The rates of MRSA are now amongst the lowest in the country and staff turnover has been halved.”

And you should also include hard facts which demonstrate success:

“In 2012 she raised £4,000 for the hospice through her organisation of 6 fundraising dinners and a monthly quiz. She undertook all the organisation of these events herself, whilst also working full time. She has volunteered at the hospice each Saturday for the past 10 years, reading and talking to patients. This has provided respite for family members and helped patients to feel less isolated.”

How do I find the right words?

Effective citations often include nouns such as:

• determination
• commitment
• respect
• drive
• sustainability
• recognition
• innovation
• creativity
• selflessness
• impact
• zeal
• performance
• ambassador

Do not:

• Use bullet points within your citation.
• Use jargon or technical language. It’s fine to use acronyms – they save space – but unless they are very common you should always explain what they are the first time you use them. If a committee member can’t understand what you’re talking about, they won’t spend a lot of time considering your candidate.
• Provide information irrelevant to the citation – committee will not be interested and will detract from your citation. Stay focussed on why you are nominating this person/team.

Examples (not prescriptive) of evidence that may help when writing a citation.

Award: Lecturer of the Year 
Criteria: This will be awarded to a Lecturer who has achieved excellent student attendance, learner engagement and achievement rates. They will actively build strong employer links and provide a great learning experience and career opportunities. The Lecturer will have made a significant contribution to improving quality and outcomes. They will also have contributed to improved learner outcomes and demonstrated outstanding classroom practice.   This award is open to Curriculum Staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; Set the scene – what have they done that is above and beyond their role? Examples of how lecturer engages with students that are outside the norm; What extra steps do they do to ensure full attendance? What are their success rates? What progression paths do their students undertake upon completion of course? examples of students who have taken these paths; Examples of links to employers and evidence of working to increase these links; Evidence of going above and beyond classroom teaching to help students achieve; Evidence of promoting course and college externally; Their commitment to lifelong learning in vocational area – what have they done? 

Award: Excellence in Supporting Students
Criteria: This award is in recognition of an individual or team who have enhanced the student experience through their mentoring and support.  This award is open to all staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person/Team is a worthy winner; Provide evidence of how this person/team has enhanced the student experience; Explain what the staff member/team did that was outstanding; What was the support? How was it provided? How did this benefit the student? Overall outcome for student; Has this enhancement been implemented into the course/department for the benefit of all students moving forward? 

Award: Professional Services Team of the Year
Criteria: This will be awarded to a team in recognition of their outstanding contribution to engagement and collaboration internally and/or external to the College. They will have shown significant engagement with stakeholders that has provided new or improved collaborative working opportunities for the College, staff and/or students. As well as engagement with new ideas and sectors which have previously been unexplored, either internally to the College or with external stakeholders.   This award is open to support staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this team is a worthy winner; Examples of implementing new innovative ideas /or working with new sectors that result in positive changes for the college; Explain the process – what was the new idea /change–how did they go about implementing the idea/change? What exactly did they do? How did it benefit the team/department? Evidence of how the relationships with stakeholders improved both for stakeholder and college for the benefit of the college. 

Award: Excellence in Teaching Innovation
Criteria: This award recognises, celebrates, and promotes excellence in learning and teaching initiatives that impact positively on the student experience in creative and innovative ways.   This award is open to Curriculum Staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; Evidence of new teaching initiatives – What was the new initiative? How they implemented the initiative? Who was involved? How long did it take to implement? What resources were needed, when did they do it? Examples of impact of new initiatives on students retention and success rates; How they shared the experience with colleagues?

Award: Curriculum Team of the Year
Criteria: This team will have worked well together showing collegiate spirit and collaboration, they will have shared good practice throughout the College and had exemplary teaching.  This award is open to Curriculum Staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this team is a worthy winner; Evidence of how the team has worked collegiately – how has this been achieved, what were the results; What was the collaboration? Who was involved? How long did it take? Reasons for the collaboration – (what was it improving)? Resources used or produced? End results for both student and teams involved; Sharing best practice across department/across college. Evidence can include: what they shared, how they did it, the results of sharing; Examples of exemplary teaching; Examples of how team went above and beyond their duty to assist colleagues and students.  

Award: New Start of the Year
Criteria: This will be awarded to a colleague who has joined the College since August 2022 and made an immediate impression. The person will have integrated into College life, built fantastic relationships, and has a can-do attitude when faced with new challenges.    This award is open to all staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; What has this person done to impress? Examples could include: Volunteered to help other staff/students/ or at events. Spoke up at meetings – good ideas on how to improve service. Implemented positive change what did they do; How did they do it? And results of implementation. 

Award: Team Player of the Year
Criteria: This will be awarded to a Team Player to recognise and encourage collaboration. They will actively contribute to their own team and across college teams to meet goals and manage projects. They actively listen to their colleagues, respect ideas, and aim to make improvements for everyone.  This award is open to all staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; What did they do? How did they adapt their approach/behaviour to achieve what they did? How did they interact with their colleagues? How did this positively affect their team? How did the team member work collaboratively with other teams? What was their role? what was the result and how was the end results communicated within departments/college? 

Award: Equality, Diversity, and Induction Champion 
Criteria: A member of staff who has championed and advanced equality, diversity, and inclusion. This team member will have exhibited an outstanding commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and has demonstrated exemplary contributions to developing a culturally diverse and welcoming college community reflective of inclusive excellence.  This award is open to all staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner;Explain what they have done that is above their normal role within the college, include evidence of: What was their outstanding commitment?  Explain their role? What changes were brought about by their commitment? What were the results for students\staff and college.  

Award: Excellence in the Community and Society 
Criteria: This will be awarded to a team or individual in recognition of their outstanding contribution to engagement with the community and society external to the College and through this demonstrated excellent social responsibility.  This could be, for example, through community or charity work.  This award is open to all staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this team/person is a worthy winner; Explain what they have done and why is it outstanding; How did they select the charity/community group to support? How have they developed relationships with the external bodies? Who has been involved? Explain exactly what they did in relation to the work involved and the end results. 

Award: Best New Course 22/23 
Criteria: This award recognises a new course to the 22/23 college courses which has had a positive impact on the student experience at the College.  This award is open to Curriculum Staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): How was the need for this course identified; What need was it fulfilling? Who is it for? What are the progression routes after completion? Benefits for team/department/college; Sustainability of course. 

Award: Professional services team member of the year
Criteria: This will be awarded to the Professional Services team member who is an ‘unsung hero’ and frequently goes the extra mile to achieve not just within their own area, but in other areas.  They will produce a consistently high standard of work and take pride in their role both at departmental and wider college level.   This award is open to support staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; Outline in detail how the person has gone above and beyond their role – what additional duties did they undertake that are not part of their actual role?  Explain in detail what the duties were? How did the extra duties arise? How often they were undertaken? Who they benefitted? What was the end results? – Highlight why the person was an unsung hero – Why were they not recognised at the time? 

Award: Leadership Award
Criteria: The Leadership Award is given to a manager, or member of senior management team or member of senior leadership team who exemplifies significant leadership skills such as: the ability to lead, help and guide staff, develop staff talents and successfully manage an efficient and effective team at the highest level; has promoted teamwork and collaboration across the college; has worked quietly behind the scenes to improve working relationships within the college; and who has consistently done so with a positive attitude.  This award is open to all staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; Outline in detail how the person has gone above and beyond their role. Give detailed examples of how this person has shown exemplary leadership, include how they may have positively influenced others to build consensus, how they manage, or champions change effectively, how they developed trust and credibility, how they communicate with others explain the situation and the outcome for staff; How they demonstrated high levels of initiative, responsibility, and resourcefulness. 

Award: Entrepreneurship Award 
Criteria: This will be awarded to a team or individual in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the research, teaching, or practice of entrepreneurship and /or increased the visibility and development of entrepreneurship within the College and wider community and or/ developed or enhanced the professionalism, impact, or effectiveness of the Entrepreneurship Hub within the College.  This award is open to all staff.
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this team/person is a worthy winner; Clearly explain the outstanding contribution this person or team have made to entrepreneurship; What was done? How did they do it? By whom? When? What was involved? and end results- include benefits to students, team, department / college and or community. 

Award: Project Based Learning Champion
Criteria: This will be awarded to a lecturer who has demonstrated a commitment to PBL and who have incorporated project-based learning pedagogy into or across their courses, demonstrating a positive impact on student learning.  This award is open to Curriculum Staff. 
Examples of evidence (not prescriptive): Clearly state why this person is a worthy winner; How they have contributed to the advancement of PBL; Describe their impact on students/staff engaging in PBL; Share their PBL journey or the contributions they have made to the PBL journey of others.