Every day, colleagues, students, alumni and partners across our University community are helping to create positive social and environmental change. The Making a Difference Awards are an opportunity to celebrate these achievements, share inspiring stories and recognise the individuals and teams who are making a real difference.
Whether your work has benefited a local community, supported students, improved the environment, influenced policy, advanced equality and inclusion or created wider societal impact, we encourage you to consider submitting an entry.
The guidance below will help you prepare your application and make the most of the opportunity to showcase your work.
Entry guidelines
Our awards are very simple and free to enter. They are open to University of Manchester colleagues, students, alumni (Outstanding alumni contribution to social responsibility category) and external partners (Outstanding public contribution category).
All entries are be made using an online entry form.
The information below will help you to prepare your entry. A template entry form (in Word) is available to help you prepare your answers offline, before completing the online entry form.
Before you start
Before completing your entry, we recommend that you:
- Read the category criteria carefully.
- Download and review the Word template entry form.
- Gather evidence, data and feedback that demonstrates the impact of your work.
- Identify any supporting materials you may wish to include.
- Allow sufficient time to prepare responses and obtain input from collaborators where required.
Preparing your entry in advance will help ensure that you make the best possible submission and can easily transfer your answers into the online entry form.
What is the deadline?
The deadline for entries is midnight on 12 January 2027.
How do I submit an entry?
All entries must be submitted via the online entry form.
Please read the guidelines below before you submit your entry.
Guidelines
What should be included on the entry form?
We suggest that you prepare your entry before completing the online form. When completing the online form, you will be prompted to provide the following:
- Contact details. If you nominating someone else they are referred to as the ‘entrant’ in the entry form.
- Whether the entry is a self-nomination or you are nominating someone else.
- Whether the entry is an individual or team entry.
- Mapping any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that your project or initiative addresses. See our SDG pages for inspiration and further information about the goals.
- The social responsibility strategic priority that your project or initiative addresses. Details of the social responsibility strategic themes can be found on the social responsibility website.
- Title of the project or initiative (70 characters)
- An overview of the project or initiative: What is it about and what is it aiming to address? (maximum of 600 characters).
- A description of the project or initiative: Describe the purpose and aims of the initiative and outline the activities that have taken place (maximum of 1,800 characters). Please carefully read and address the specific criteria for the category you are entering.
- The impact of the project or initiative (maximum of 1,500 characters). Provide evidence of the outcomes and impact of the project/initiative. We suggest highlighting what difference has been made and to whom. You may also wish to reference any external recognition, provide any quantitative and qualitative data that is appropriate, indicate timescales and current status. Please carefully read and address the specific criteria for the category you are entering.
- For marketing purposes, we also ask for the names and contact details of two people who we can contact for further information about this project/initiative if required. These should not be people who have been directly involved in the project/initiative, but someone who can speak knowledgeably about it.
- You are also asked to provide up to three links to visual material, either photographs or films and links to any socal media pages relating to your initiative. These will not be used as part of the judging process, but may be used for marketing purposes if you are shortlisted.
- To review the questions on the entry form before completing it, please see this template form. NB: Please do not use the Word document to submit your entry, please use the online entry form.
As part of the entry process, applicants will be asked to select options from several dropdown menus within the online entry form. These include award categories, University areas, social responsibility priority themes and relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We recommend reviewing these options before beginning your application and considering how your work aligns with them.
How much do I need to write to enter?
The submission text allows for up to 3,900 characters in total. These should specifically address the key criteria set out for the relevant category.
If more than 1,800 characters in the description section, and 1,500 characters in the impact section words are submitted, the judges will disregard any additional words.
You will need to complete the form in one sitting and click ‘Submit’ to save and submit the nomination.
We suggest you prepare your 3,900 character submission before you complete the form, addressing the specific criteria for your category.
How long will it take to complete an entry?
The time required to complete an application will vary depending on the complexity of the project and the information you need to gather.
We strongly recommend preparing your responses using the Word template before completing the online form, particularly where input is needed from colleagues, students, partners or other collaborators.
What timescales do the awards cover?
The work that underpins the project/initiative 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 18 months, except for the ‘Outstanding benefit to society through research’ category, where the benefits/impacts described should have occurred in the past three years.
Who can enter?
All University of Manchester colleagues and students who are currently working or studying at the University are eligible to enter or nominate. You can apply yourself or nominate someone else.
Individuals or teams can enter or be nominated.
Alumni entries
Alumni can enter in the Outstanding alumni contribution to social responsibility category.
External partner entries
Colleagues, students or community partners (working in association with colleagues/students) can enter the Outstanding public engagement category. Community partners must be nominated by a current member of staff or a student at the University of Manchester.
Community partners may include public/patient contributors, residents, community members, creatives or partner organisations in the public, private and third sector.
Further details can be found under each specific award category.
Please note that where the focus for colleagues, students and alumni has been in a voluntary capacity, you should enter the Volunteer of the Year Awards, which has a separate entry process.
If your entry relates to an initiative carried out in collaboration with another institution or organisation, the submission should come from the member of staff or a student from The University of Manchester. If you are successful, we will give credit to partner institutions and organisations at the awards ceremony where appropriate.
Individuals or teams can nominate themselves or be nominated by others (for example, by a colleague, manager, tutor, external partner).
If you are nominating somebody else, please inform the person of the nomination, as all entrants will receive correspondence from the Office of Social Responsibility informing them of the outcome of their entry.
Nominations are welcome from partners or colleagues outside of the University. However, they must be for a current member of staff or current student (barring those exceptions above).
Is there a cost to enter?
No, submissions for entry are free.
Do I need to submit supporting materials?
We do not require any supporting material as part of the entry. Any supporting materials submitted with the entry will not be considered as part of the judging process. However, you are asked to provide three links to visual material, either photographs or films, about your initiative. These will not be used as part of the judging process, but may be used for marketing purposes if you are shortlisted.
The judging will be solely based on the 3,900 characters included in the main section of the entry form.
How do I ensure I write a good entry?
When preparing your submission please review and specifically address the award criteria for the category that you are entering. Ensure that your submission contains sufficient evidence of how you meet the criteria. This can include relevant facts and figures where appropriate.
What makes a strong entry?
Strong entries typically:
- Clearly explain the project, initiative or activity.
- Address the category criteria directly.
- Demonstrate measurable impact and outcomes.
- Include evidence and examples wherever possible.
- Explain who benefited and how.
- Use accessible language that can be understood by non-specialist judges.
- Demonstrate sustainability, legacy or future potential where relevant.
Examples of evidence
Depending on the nature of your project, evidence may include:
- Numbers of participants, beneficiaries or volunteers
- Feedback and testimonials
- Evaluation findings
- Environmental improvements
- Changes to policy or practice
- Community impact
- Improvements to inclusion, access or wellbeing
- Recognition from external organisations
Remember that judges may not be familiar with your area of work, so provide enough context to help them understand both the activity and the difference it has made.
Please read the ‘What should be included on the entry form’ section above.
We suggest you read the ‘Tips for entering the Making a Difference Awards‘ before you start your entry.
When will I find out if I have been successful?
The shortlist of entries will be published in March 2027. The winners and highly commended will be announced at the Awards ceremony on 6 May 2027.
Can previous winners apply?
Previous winners can enter in the same category again if there has been a substantial change or development in the project, or if you are entering for a different project or initiative.
Previous entrants (highly commended or commended) are very welcome to submit an entry. Previous entrants are asked in the entry form to highlight evidence of further development of the project and any additional reach and impact.
Can I enter more than one category?
Entrants are asked to submit only one entry for a specific project or initiative per category. Submitting multiple entries into one category will not provide any advantage. Entrants are still able to submit entries for different projects or different initiatives in different categories.
All entries should address the specific judging criteria for the category that is being entered.
You may submit more than one entry per category when initiatives are distinctive and unrelated. Otherwise, it is advisable to combine the best elements of each into a stronger single entry.
What if my contact details change?
The contact details you provide in your entry form will be used throughout the awards process. If these details change after the form has been submitted, please send your new contact information by email to: socialresponsibility@manchester.ac.uk.
Supplying additional information
If you/or the nominee are part of any internal investigation, please discuss this with the Executive Director of Social Responsibility before submitting your entry.
Will you use information in my application for publicity purposes?
By submitting an application form you are agreeing for any information about your initiative to be used by the University in publicity materials.
Getting in touch
Please contact us if you have any general questions or queries about the awards.