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.

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:

  • Academic staff and researchers at any career stage, including PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and other early career researchers.
  • Individuals or small teams.

Entrants will be assessed based on:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Pathway and partnerships: Outline how the researchers have engaged the relevant users/beneficiaries in shaping and communicating the research and engagement. 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.

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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.

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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:

  • Innovation: Demonstrate innovative thinking through improvements to, for example, products, services, delivery, technology, interventions.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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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?

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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.

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06. Outstanding professional services for social responsibility

This award is to recognise innovation and impact in the University’s professional services in social responsibility, for example, by developing and/or delivering processes, policies and services that contribute to the University’s third goal.

We are particularly interested in entries from across the following roles and areas:

  • PS staff woking at all levels across the University
  • Administrators, clerical staff and assistants
  • Estates and house services
  • Technical/experimental officers
  • Apprentices

Examples of previous entries into this category include socially responsible procurement, charity collection for Francis House, the Christmas Dinner project, furniture reuse and the 10K Purple Wave.

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 strategic framework for social responsibility.
  • Innovation: Demonstrable evidence of how the process, initiative or activity has innovated a new way to support social responsibility.
  • Impact: Evidence of impact of the process, initiative or activity.

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07. Outstanding contribution to environmental sustainability and a zero carbon future

This award recognises innovation and commitment to environmental sustainability and a zero carbon future through our teaching, research and University operations at The University of Manchester that aligns to our Environmental Sustainability Strategy. In this category we celebrate innovation that leads to significant reductions in our environmental impact whilst maintaining and enhancing our world leading research and teaching.

Up to three awards can be made in this category: for teaching, learning and students; for research and for University operations and laboratories.

  • Teaching, learning and students: this covers innovations in teaching, learning and student practices that significantly reduce the environmental impact of how we undertake teaching and learning.
  • Research: this covers innovations in research practice that significantly reduces the environmental impact of how we conduct our research activities.
  • University operations: this covers innovations in University operations that significantly reduce the environmental impact of how we undertake our activities.

Example activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Innovations in the design and delivery of activities to reduce air travel and adopt low carbon forms of transport (including: online collaboration, collaboration with local partners for fieldwork, enabling train travel through meeting timing and location planning, adopting fewer longer blocks for international meetings, designing fieldwork to facilitate low carbon travel, virtual fieldwork experiences).
  • Innovations in laboratory practice to minimise resource use, increase reuse and recycling and reduce waste.
  • Conference design to reduce environmental impact – e.g. catering and resource use, regional hub approaches to reduce travel, innovations in hybrid and virtual approaches to enhance conference experience and outcomes).
  • Innovation in online working arrangements for geographically dispersed research teams to enhance relationship building, collaboration and creativity.
  • Innovation in how we power our campus, support biodiversity, facilitate active travel and reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services we buy.

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.

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08. Outstanding contribution to widening participation

This award, overseen by the central access and success team, recognises outstanding staff and student contributions to widening participation activity taking place locally or nationally.

The award recognises contributions taking place outside of the University’s central access and success team that support widening participation students across the whole student lifecycle including access, student success or progression.

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 participation 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 lifecyle.
  • Sustained commitment: Evidence that your involvement in widening participation work is over a sustained period of time. This may be through multiple activities and projects.

Nominations for this categoty 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.

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09. Outstanding alumni contribution to social responsibility

This award recognises:

  • contributions alumni make to creating a fairer, greener and healthier world
  • contributions alumni make to creating a ‘greater Manchester’ through supporting our students of all backgrounds and communities in and around Greater Manchester.

 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.
  • Evidence of a sustained commitment.

  • Evidence of leadership and/or innovation.

The award is open to:

  • All alumni (graduates of the University) and recognises their contributions outside of a paid role over the last 12 months.
  • Individuals or small teams can enter.

Nominations can be made by staff, students or alumni.

The winner will receive the University Medal for Social Responsibility for the Alumni Category.

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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.

 

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