The Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

��

Our people are at the heart of our success and our colleagues continue to make exceptional contributions to the University and the wider community.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence recognise and celebrate staff, alumni and members of the community who have made an exceptional contribution to the University, its values, its ambition and its success, as set out in the University Strategy.

The awards complement the newly established Student Impact Awards, which recognise the achievements of our students and their contributions to our city and wider region.

Awards categories

Internationalisation

Awarded to an individual or team that demonstrates an outstanding contribution, activity or collaboration that shows the University operating with global vision and ambition.

Green Impact

Awarded to an individual or team that demonstrates commitment to environmental issues, encompassing innovative approaches and showing clear evidence that the work is making a difference.

Outstanding Contribution to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Awarded to an individual or team initiative through which colleagues and/or students are treated fairly and with respect, and where diversity is championed. Initiatives may focus on colleagues or the student body, or both, and can be either innovative in themselves, or based on implementing ideas or practice from within or outside the University.

Outstanding Contribution to Civic Impact and Community Engagement

Awarded to an individual or team that has made a significant contribution to aid the wider community, whether socially, culturally or economically.

Partnerships, Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

Awarded to an individual or team that has achieved an outstanding partnership with a business or an industry – regional, national or international – where knowledge is applied and resources are shared for the benefit of the wider economy.

Professional Services Excellence

Awarded to an individual or professional services team that demonstrates excellence, and is making a significant contribution to achieving our University Strategy and values.

Research & Innovation Excellence

Awarded to an individual or team that demonstrates research excellence and/or innovation that significantly advances knowledge and/or delivers tangible benefits to wider society.

Student Experience and Outcomes

Awarded to an individual or a team initiative that has positively enhanced the academic and/or personal experience of our student body, including enhancing our student outcomes or helping our students develop and demonstrate the Hallmarks of a �� Graduate.

Teaching Excellence

Awarded to an individual or academic team that has delivered an outstanding teaching initiative or learning support that inspires student learning and attainment through innovative pedagogy.

Technician of the Year - NEW 2026

Awarded to an individual or team that demonstrates exceptional technical expertise, innovation, and dedication to supporting teaching, research, and operations, and is committed to improving technical services to enhance the student experience

School/Department of the Year - NEW 2026

Awarded to an academic Department or School that has demonstrated outstanding achievements in teaching, research, and student experience, making a significant positive impact on the University community.

Outstanding Internal Collaboration - NEW 2026

Awarded to a team or individuals that demonstrate effective collaboration across different disciplines to deliver outcomes with significant impact and align with the university's strategic goals.

Shortlisting

Nominees will be shortlisted in each award category after the nominations close on Friday 1 May 2026.

The shortlisting panel is made up of members of the University Executive Board, Staff Networks, Students’ Union Officers and previous award winners.

Nominations will be assessed on the outcomes and impact of the activity. Nominees and their nominators will be informed of the outcomes after the panel has met in May.

The Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence event

Tuesday 2 July 2026

Shortlisted nominees and their nominators will be invited to our Awards event, where winners of the Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence will be announced.

The event will be hosted by the Vice-Chancellor and other members of the University Executive Board.

The VC Awards for Excellence offer a wonderful opportunity to recognise individuals who consistently exceed expectations, both within the University and in the wider �� community.

Professor Graham Galbraith CBE, University Vice-Chancellor

Make a nomination

You can nominate University staff, or any community members who work in partnership with the University, who have made an exceptional contribution to the University, its values, its ambition and its success, as set out in the University Strategy.

Your nomination can recognise an individual or a team. You can select one award category per nomination, but can submit more than one nomination.

Staff and community members involved with the University can make a nomination but cannot nominate themselves.

Nominees must not be made aware of their nomination.

Nominations must be received by Friday 1 May 2026, and can be submitted by completing .

Your nomination should:

Include clear evidence that your nominee meets the award criteria. We’ll shortlist nominees using only the information that you provide.
Demonstrate the positive impact your nominee has had. This impact may have been on the University, or a city or region in the UK or overseas, and can be a one-off or ongoing activity.
Provide as much detail as you can to evidence the impact and reach of the activities of the nominee.
Make it clear how the achievement is above and beyond the individual or team’s job.

��������

The VC Awards