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NUS Awards 2011

Categories & Criteria

 
Endsleigh Student of the Year

Criteria

The winner of the Student of the Year Award will be a current student who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to their fellow students, students’ union or local community.

They will have gone out of their way to improve the lives of others, will have inspired others to participate, will have given up their time and may have overcome adversity to do so.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What has the student done to be an example of an outstanding and inspirational student and so deserve recognition?
  • Who has benefitted from the student’s actions?
  • Have they been an inspiration to others, and in what way?
  • Are there any barriers the student has overcome to achieve what they have, and what are they?
  • What impact has the student made on the student population or local community?
  • What level of dedication (in terms of time, resources and effort) has the student shown?
     

Who can enter?

  • Anyone from further or higher education who has been a student after July 2010.
  • You must be a student at an institution with an NUS affiliated students’ union. Click here to see a full list of NUS affiliates.
  • It is open to all students including postgraduate, international, mature, part-time and distance learners.
  • You cannot nominate yourself for this award – you must be nominated by a fellow student, student officer or member of staff at your institution or union.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.
  • You can submit up to two documents containing extra information, this is optional but could help to back up your entry in the final judging process. This could be examples of work, papers or images which relate to the entry.


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Student Journalist of the Year

Criteria

The Student Journalist of the Year Award recognises the outstanding contribution of an individual to student media. The winner of the award will be a student who has used their journalistic skills and endeavour to better the lives of students through their contributions.

They will have shown journalistic instinct beyond their experience to get to the bottom of a story that will make a difference to the lives of students and producing top quality work in the process.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • How has the student journalist taken information and converted it into high quality and compelling content on their chosen media outlet?
  • How have they made a positive impact to the student population – this can be through the content of the stories they have covered or from their dedication to student media?
  • What journalistic competencies and skills have they shown through their work?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any student from further or higher education who has contributed to any media outlet (print, radio, TV) after July 2010.
  • You must be a student at an institution with an NUS affiliated students’ union.
  • You cannot nominate yourself for this award – you must be nominated by a fellow student, student officer or member of staff at your institution or union.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.
  • You should submit up to two documents containing the nominee’s work, this will demonstrate their journalistic skills to the judges.


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Simpson-King Students' Union Staff Member of the Year

Criteria

The winner of the Staff Member of the Year will be a member of staff in a students’ union who has contributed above and beyond the call of duty to improve the lives of students and the students’ union they work for.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What has the staff member has done beyond the call of duty and so deserve recognition?
  • Who has benefitted from their work and commitment?
  • Have they been an inspiration to others, and in what way?
  • What impact have they made on the students’ union and the student population?
  • How have they contributed to the work of the students’ union, its aims and objectives?
     

Who can enter?

  • Anyone staff member in a students’ union from further or higher education who has worked there after July 2010
  • You must be at an NUS affiliated students’ union
  • You cannot nominate yourself for this award – you must be nominated by a student, student officer or member of staff at your institution or union
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Community Relations Award

Criteria

The winner of the Community Relations Award will be a students’ union which has made a significant impact on its local community. It will have shown creativity and ability to utilise available resources to achieve its aims and build up community relations.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • How has the students’ union has had a significant impact on the local community?
  • How has the union demonstrated evidence of best practice in planning, communication, team working and evaluation?
  • What evidence of creativity in the delivery of work objectives through events, activities and communication channels? 
  • What evidence of the ability to effectively utilise resources within the student body, local stakeholders and/or the media? 
  • What quantifiable impact or change to the target community or beneficiaries have been made?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Higher Education Students' Union of the Year

Criteria

The Higher Education Students’ Union of the Year will be a union who has shown a commitment to quality, to participation and to improving the lives of its members.

It will have shown a keen eye for strategy while ensuring its aims and objectives are being met. It will have shown a commitment to improving and will have continually sought the input of its members.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What is the students’ union’s vision and how has this been developed and achieved buy-in from relevant stakeholders?
  • How is the SU working towards and achieving best practice in planning and objective setting?
  • What tangible mechanisms to obtain student feedback are being used and is this information being used to improve the SU?
  • How is the SU positively contributing to the student experience?
  • How has the SU demonstrated improvement in the past year, in terms of participation, influence and structures?
  • What successful campaigns and impacts have the SU had?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union with higher education provision
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete this form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Campaign of the Year

Criteria

The winner of the Campaign of the Year will be a campaign run by a students’ union which had a significant impact on the lives of students or others locally or nationally.

The campaign will have used creativity to achieve its objectives utilising available resources and communications channels. 
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What was the campaign, and what did it aim to achieve?
  • How did the campaign demonstrate best practice in planning, communication, team working and evaluation?
  • What did the campaign achieve and what quantifiable impact did it have on others locally or nationally?
  • How did the campaign show creativity in the delivery of campaign objectives through events, activities and communication channels?
  • How did the campaign utilise resources within the student body, local stakeholders and/or the media?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Further Education Students' Union of the Year

Criteria

The Further Education Students’ Union of the Year will be a union that is having a great impact on the lives of its members. It will be influential with its parent institution and will have shown advances in participation rates and quantifiable impact on students.


The entry should answer the following:

  • What is the students’ union’s vision and how has this been developed and achieved buy-in from relevant stakeholders?
  • How is the SU working towards and achieving best practice in planning and objective setting?
  • What tangible mechanisms to obtain student feedback are being used and is this information being used to improve the SU?
  • How is the SU positively contributing to the student experience?
  • How has the SU demonstrated improvement in the past year, in terms of participation, influence and structures.
  • What successful campaigns and impacts have the SU had?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union with further education provision
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.


How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Small Students’ Union of the Year

Criteria

The Small Students’ Union of the Year will be a union that is having a great impact on the lives of its members. It will be influential with its parent institution and will have shown advances in participation rates and quantifiable impact on students with a turnover of less than £1 million.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What is the students’ union’s vision and how has this been developed and achieved buy-in from relevant stakeholders?
  • How is the SU working towards and achieving best practice in planning and objective setting?
  • What tangible mechanisms to obtain student feedback are being used and is this information being used to improve the SU?
  • How is the SU positively contributing to the student experience?
  • How has the SU demonstrated improvement in the past year, in terms of participation, influence and structures.
  • What successful campaigns and impacts have the SU had?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union with an annual turnover of less than £1 million.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.

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Equality and Diversity Award

Criteria

The winner of the Equality and Diversity Award will be a students’ union who has championed equality and diversity in their organisation. They will have developed initiatives and projects which have strengthened the equality and diversity provision of the union or the institution.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • How has the union and its structures strengthened equality and diversity activities in areas such as staff recruitment, accessible student activities and involvement of under represented groups in student democracy?
  • How has the union shown development of innovative projects and initiatives that have promoted equality and diversity?
  • How have these projects helped to improve equality and diversity?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Best Student Media

Criteria

The winner of the Best Student Media award will be a student or students’ union led media outlet which through its output it will have benefitted students. It will also have demonstrated outstanding journalistic skills and high levels of participation from students.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • How has the media outlet ensured quality of its output whilst encouraging student participation?
  • What measures has the media outlet has sought to meet its objectives and target audience?
  • How has the media outlet been used to campaign and raise awareness of student issues, what impact has this made?
  • What levels of student participation in the production and student uptake of the media outlet?
  • What examples of improvements made in the past year have been implemented?
  • How has the media outlet encouraged students on non-media courses to contribute?
  • The size and stature of the media will be taken into account, so you details about your publication’s annual budget, frequency, when it was founded should be included
     

Who can enter?

  • Any union or student led media from any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education
  • It includes all media and can be print, radio, TV or website
  • You can enter a union’s media as a whole if it is branded under one name (eg Demon at De Montfort Students’ Union)
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.
  • You can also send up to three copies of newspapers, magazines and audio/visual clips to: NUS Awards, c/o Lisa Pool, Communications Producer, National Union of Students, 4th Floor 184-192 Drummond Street, London, NW1 3HP.


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Students’ Union Club or Society of the Year

Criteria

The winner of the Students’ Union Club or Society of the Year will be a sports club or society at any further or higher education students’ union which has shown a commitment to improving participation, the student experience and has contributed in some way to the student population or wider community.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What successes has the club or society since July 2010?
  • The levels of student participation in the club
  • How has the club or society has made the most of its resources to meet its objectives and made an impact?
  • How has the club or society has contributed to the student experience in a positive way?
  • What activities that have been of benefit to the student population or the wider community has the club or society taken part in or led?
     

Who can enter?

  • Any sports club or society from any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.


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Endsleigh Technology Innovation Award

Criteria

The winner of the technology innovation award will be a current student or a students’ union who can demonstrate how they have used technology to dramatically impact the lives of students around them.

They will have displayed flair in the practical application of technology to creatively seize untapped opportunities or solve problems.
 

The entry should answer the following:

  • What was the challenge and how was it approached
  • How have they combined creativity with technology to achieve their result
  • How have they made a positive impact on the student population
  • What technology based competencies have they shown through their work
     

Who can enter?

  • Any student from further or higher education at an NUS affiliated Students’ Union
  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union
  • You must be nominated by an individual but this can be someone from your own institution
     

How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.

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Access Challenge: Most Improved Union

Criteria

The winner of the Access Challenge Award will be a students’ union that has actively sought to improve access, in both a physical and cultural nature, to the union.

They will have developed a strategy and put measures in place to ensure that access meets the criteria as set out by the Access Challenge, which is supported by a number of charities including Disabled Go, Changing Places and Attitude is Everything.


The entry should answer the following:

  • In the last year, what have you changed to improve access, both physically and culturally, to your students’ union?
  • How have you been involved with the Access Challenge?
  • Describe how you have worked with Disabled Go, Changing Places or Attitude is Everything to improve your unions access.
  • What are the ideas in your long term strategy to improve access?


Who can enter?

  • Any NUS affiliated students’ union in further or higher education.
  • You must be nominated by an individual, but this can be someone from your own institution.


How to enter

  • Complete the form, making sure that you fill in contact details correctly so we can contact both the nominator and the nominee.
     

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