Award categories
Information on each award category can be found below.
Please note that the Volunteer of the Year award has a separate application process. You can submit a nomination on the Volunteers website.
Jump to category:
- Outstanding benefit to society through research
- Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility
- Outstanding contribution to social and environmental impact through entrepreneurship
- Outstanding public engagement initiative
- Outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Outstanding professional services for social responsibility
- Outstanding contribution to environmental sustainability and a zero carbon future
- Outstanding contribution to widening access and student success
- Outstanding alumni contribution to social responsibility
- Volunteer of the Year Awards (separate application process)
01. Outstanding benefit to society through research
This award recognises effort, innovation and success in collaborative working, partnerships and knowledge exchange activities that have enabled University of Manchester research to achieve positive impacts in terms of improvements to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life.
The award is open to (staff only or a combination of staff and students):
- Academic staff and researchers, including PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and early career researchers.
- Individuals or small teams.
Entrants will be assessed based on:
- Link to underpinning research: Demonstrate how the research at the University of Manchester has contributed to the impact, and whether the impact would have occurred or occured to the same extent had the research not taken place. Please provide sufficient detail to clearly show what the research was and include the dates (in years) when the research and impact took place.
- Impact: Evidence that the research has changed activity, attitudes, behaviour, capacity, decision making, practice or processes. Impact may also have resulted from new understanding that benefits individuals, organisations, communities or the population.
- Pathway and partnerships: Outline how the researchers have engaged the relevant users/beneficiaries in shaping and communicating the research and engagement. Outline the knowledge exchange process, including what was done to address challenges and bring about change, and how impact was evaluated.
Emerging impact sub-category
For entrants at all career stages, evidence of ‘emerging impact’ will be considered, where some impact has been achieved, but there is great promise and potential for the research to achieve further impact, particularly in terms of the pathway and partnerships.
Additional guidance when completing the entry form
Summary (maximum of 50 words): Provide a headline summary of the underpinning research, the pathway to impact, target groups and key impacts.
Description (maximum of 250 words): Describe the research that led to the impact, and the main activities that took place to engage relevant communities/stakeholders to translate the research into impact.
Impact (maximum of 200 words): Outline the impact that has been achieved by the research, including any evidence of the impact (external quotes, links to publicly available reports etc.) and any external recognition/ awards received. (Additional information on impact).
The research that underpins the impact must have been undertaken at the University of Manchester and can have been produced at any point. However, the benefits/impacts described should have occurred in the past three years.
You can re-enter this category if you have applied in previous years, but the impacts described must be new or have significantly increased since the last entry.
02. Outstanding teaching innovation in social responsibility
This award recognises staff innovation in the curriculum, where teaching and learning has enhanced social, cultural or environmental impact.
The award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
Entrants will be assessed based on:
Innovation: Evidence of innovation in the way the curriculum, programme or course unit has been developed, delivered and assessed.
Student impact: Evidence of impact of teaching and learning on students and their understanding and commitment to social responsibility and/or environmental sustainability.
Community impact: Evidence of impact of the students’ work or the course itself, on the wider community beyond higher education.
We encourage entries from colleagues at all career stages and will look at the reach, value and impact of entries in their context, as well as the above criteria.
03. Outstanding contribution to social and environmental impact through entrepreneurship
This award is to recognise innovation through the creation of novel solutions to societal and environmental problems in either an emerging project or an existing enterprise.
The award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Entrants will be assessed based on:
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Innovation: Demonstrate innovative thinking through improvements to, for example, products, services, delivery, technology, interventions.
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Impact: Evidence how the activity (project or enterprise) addresses a social, economic or environmental problem and has a positive impact on individuals, organisations, and the wider community.
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Values: Demonstrate the motivation to create a long term vision and model for sustained behavioural change and impact-led outcomes. Ideally, entrants should identify where their activities could align to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, see how the University is tackling the SDGs.
04. Outstanding public engagement initiative
This award recognises outstanding examples where the University engages with the public to share and co-produce knowledge created through teaching and learning and/or research that enriches lives, and inspires and is inspired by our communities locally, nationally and internationally.
There are four awards in this category:
Outstanding local/civic engagement (staff/student involvement)
This award recognises outstanding contributions made to our local communities by staff or students that have achieved demonstrable benefit through either engaging with or working in close partnership with communities in and around Greater Manchester through their teaching and learning and/or research work.
This award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Outstanding national/international engagement (staff/student involvement)
This award recognises outstanding contributions made to national/international communities by staff or students who have achieved demonstrable benefit through either engaging with or working in close partnership with communities, organisations and/or stakeholders from areas within the UK or across the world through their teaching and learning and/or research work.
This award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Outstanding public contribution (for external partners)
This award recognises individuals or teams external to the University who inspire and support the University in the achievement of its goals.
These public contributions could be from external partners, organisations or individuals who support one or more of the University’s core goals of social responsibility, outstanding learning and student experience and world-class research.
They might include co-researchers, patients, residents, community members and partner organisations in the public, private and third sector.
This award is open to:
- Individuals or teams working in our communities in and around Greater Manchester, who must be nominated by a current member of staff or a student at the University.
Outstanding contribution by our cultural institutions
This award recognises outstanding contributions made by our cultural institutions that have achieved demonstrable benefit through either engaging with or working in close partnership with communities locally, nationally and internationally.
This award is open to:
- Staff from our cultural institutions (individual or small teams).
All entrants for each of the public engagement awards will be assessed on:
- Shared purpose and aims: The engagement initiative is purposeful and meaningful. Consider:
- How is the activity linked to the University’s core goals of social responsibility, research and/or teaching and learning?
- What needs were addressed?
- What were the aims and objectives of the engagement initiative?
- Who was involved and/or who has benefitted?
- Innovation: The engagement is imaginative and creative. Consider:
- How does the initiative demonstrate an innovative response to a social, cultural, environmental or research challenge?
- What was innovative? For example, was an existing activity or resource used in a new way? Did it engage under-represented audiences, or was this a new type of engagement activity in your discipline/area of work?
- Impact and sustainability: The engagement has demonstrable evidence of impact and where appropriate sustained mutual benefit for both staff/students and communities. Consider:
- What has changed as a result of the initiative?
- How have the outcomes of the initiative been realised?
- What evaluation evidence best supports your statement?
- Has any external recognition been received?
- Does the initiative show evidence of sustained outcomes as appropriate to the timescale, for example, legacy materials or processes, an ongoing partnership or new partnerships, opportunities or collaborative activities?
05. Outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion
This award is to recognise innovation and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion by individuals or groups at The University of Manchester, where impact is within or outside the University.
The award recognises contributions taking place outside of the University’s EDI team and formal EDI staff and student roles.
The award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Entrants will be assessed based on:
- Impact: Demonstrable evidence of impact of work/initiative on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Values: Evidence of commitment to the values of equality, diversity and inclusion that are above and beyond the expectations of the job role/project.
- Innovation: Evidence of innovation in response to an equality, diversity and inclusion issues.
06. Outstanding professional services for social responsibility
This award is to recognise innovative and impactful projects and initiativies that support the University’s professional service’s committment to social responsibility. Examples include: creating, developing or delivering processes, policies and services that make a difference to the wider University, our students and partners.
We are particularly interested in entries from across the following roles and areas:
- PS staff working at all levels across the University
- Administrators, clerical staff and assistants
- Estates, house services, catering, gardening services staff that support sustainable practices
- Technical/experimental officers
- Apprentices
Examples of previous shortlisted entries into this category include:
- Socially responsible procurement
- Charity collection for Francis House,
- The Christmas Dinner project for care-leavers
- Furniture reuse
- 10K Purple Wave
- International Women’s Day #choose to challenge campaign
- North campus clearance project
- DSE career development scheme
- Queens canopy installation & SMI Hub composting use
More information on these entries can be found here
The award is open to:
- All staff (individuals or small teams) working in the University’s Professional Services.
Entrants will be assessed based on:
- Aims: Evidence that the initiative is clearly linked to the University’s social responsibility priorities.
- Innovation: Demonstrable evidence of how the process, initiative or activity has innovated a new way to support and advance social responsibility.
- Impact: Evidence of impact of the process, initiative or activity.
07. Outstanding contribution to environmental sustainability and a zero carbon future
This award recognizes innovation and commitment to environmental sustainability and a zero-carbon future through our teaching, research, and University operations, in alignment with our Environmental Sustainability Strategy In this category, we celebrate innovations that not only reduce our environmental impact but also contribute to enhancing biodiversity, restoring nature, and improving the sustainability of our world-leading research and teaching.
Up to three awards may be made in this category: for teaching, learning and students; for research; and for University operations and laboratories.
- Teaching, Learning, and Students: This category covers innovations in teaching, learning, and student practices that either significantly reduce the environmental impact of our educational activities or support and promote nature and biodiversity.
- Research:This category recognizes innovations in research practices that either reduce the environmental impact of conducting research or contribute to the protection and enhancement of biodiversity and natural ecosystems.
- University operations: This category celebrates innovations in university operations that either significantly reduce environmental impact or foster practices that support and enhance nature and biodiversity across the campus.
Example activities may include, but are not limited to the following:
- Travel: Innovations that promote and facilitate active travel, such as walking, cycling, or running, as well as initiatives encouraging the use of public transport over car or air travel, to reduce carbon emissions and foster sustainable travel.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle: Innovations in research and laboratory practices, or other settings, that minimize resource use, facilitate sharing of equipment, increase reuse and recycling, reduce waste, or creatively upcycle items like unwanted clothing or packaging, giving them a new purpose and extending their lifecycle.
- Sustainable food: Campaigns or initiatives that engage the community in reducing the environmental impact of food, such as by promoting plant-based diets, reducing food waste, or transitioning to reusable food and drink packaging models.
- Carbon and energy: Pioneering approaches to powering our campus sustainably, reducing reliance on air travel through virtual meetings or research fieldwork, and lowering the carbon footprint of the goods and services we procure.
- Nature and biodiversity: Initiatives that protect and enhance local biodiversity, improve the quality of our green spaces, reduce pollution, or promote the conservation of local flora and fauna, fostering a healthier natural environment.
The award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Entrants will be assessed based on:
- Impact: Demonstrable impact of reduction of negative environmental impacts or delivery of positive environmental impacts.
- Innovation: The degree to which the activity presents a novel solution to the challenge of environmental sustainability
- Replication: Demonstrable evidence of how the initiative/approach can be replicated.
08. Outstanding contribution to widening access and student success (formally known as the widening participation caetegory)
This award, overseen by the central Access and Success team, recognises outstanding staff and student contributions to widening access and/or improving student success and outcomes taking place locally or nationally.
The award recognises contributions and activities that support pupils and students from communities underrepresented in higher education across the whole student lifecycle.
The award is open to:
- Staff (individuals or small teams)
- Students (individuals or small teams)
Entrants will be assessed on:
- Innovation: Evidence that the activity is an innovative response to a widening access and student success challenge.
- Impact: The activity has demonstrable evidence of making a difference to the educational opportunities or outcomes of less-advantaged learners at any phase of the student lifecycle – access through to graduation and progression.
- Sustained commitment: Evidence that your involvement in access ans student success work is over a sustained period of time. This may be through multiple activities and projects.
Nominations for this category do not need to meet all of those criteria to be considered – they will be considered if they meet at least one of the criteria. Projects supporting international pupils or students are not eligible.
09. Outstanding alumni contribution to social responsibility
This award recognises:
- Contributions alumni make to creating a fairer, greener and healthier world through their main career or profession, or through voluntary activities.
- Contributions alumni make to student access, inclusion and success.
Entrants will be assessed on:
- Impact: Evidence how the activity supports a social, economic or environmental problem; has a positive impact on individuals, organisations, and the wider community.
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Evidence of a sustained commitment (over the last 12 months).
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Evidence of leadership and/or innovation: where the entrant has gone above and beyond to try a different approach to a challenge, or demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.
Entries should highlight where the activity links to one of the University’s Social Responsibility priorities; social inclusion, prosperous communities, better health, environmental sustainability and cultural engagement. Further information can be found in the University’s Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement plan
The award is open to:
- All alumni undertaking activities that benefit students or the wider community, either as individuals or in small teams
Nominations can be made by staff, students or alumni.
The winner will receive the University Medal for Social Responsibility for the Alumni Category.
- Find out more about Social Responsibility at the University of Manchester on the social responsibility website
- Find out more about opportunities for alumni to support Social responsibility
10. Student Volunteer of the Year Award
This award, overseen by the central Success and Development team, recognises outstanding volunteering within our student community, both undertaken by individuals and student groups. In this category we celebrate and thank our student volunteers for the skills, commitment and tens of thousands of hours given.
Multiple nominations will be recognised in this category: with first, second and third places for both individual and groups, and other nominations also being recognised as Commended and Highly Commended.
The student individual winner is also the recipient of the President’s Social Responsibility Medal.
The award is open to:
- Students (individuals) undertaking volunteering that benefits the wider community
- Students (individuals) undertaking volunteering that benefits other students
- Students (teams) undertaking volunteering that benefits the wider community
Entrants will be assessed based on:
- Leadership: The demonstration of exceptional leadership skills.
- Impact: Actions that have created real impact and change.
- Innovation: The use of innovation to meet a need.
- Commitment: A significant and sustained commitment to community activity, over and above what would normally be expected.
PLEASE NOTE THE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARDS IS A SEPARATE AWARD PROGRAMME TO THE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARDS. THE ENTRY PROCESS, JUDGING PROCESS AND AWARDS CEREMONY ARE SEPARATE TO THE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARDS.
To enter the Volunteer of the Year Awards please go to the Volunteer of the Year Awards website.