If you’re going to be nominating a student for the SU Awards, that’s fantastic! But it’s important to keep in mind that you need to make sure your nomination is of a good quality. We can only count nominations that are of a good standard. So take this opportunity to really shout about the special person you think deserves an award.

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It’s really easy! We’re going to show you how to make a great nomination.

Pick the right category!

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The first step is to make sure that you are nominating a student for the right category. It’s no use nominating your Course Rep for all the hard work they do, writing an outstanding nomination, but nominating them instead for ‘Student group of the year’. Make sure that you nominate your Course Rep for either ‘Education Impact’, or if its relevant 'Inclusivity Award', to ensure your nomination will be counted! Make sure that your nomination matches up with the award you're nominating them for.

Make your nomination clear!

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You might think this person is really great, but it’s no use putting ‘They’re really great’ on your nomination, because it will be discarded as it’s too vague a statement. Instead, focus on being clear, and telling us exactly why you are nominating them. You might say, continuing on from the Rep example above,

‘X has been an outstanding Course Rep. They have made a difference to our course by changing the way X module works, and encouraging tutors to take on X stance with their teaching, improving things for the better.’

By writing clearly why exactly you are nominating, it will make your nomination of a good quality.

Include specifics

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Including specific examples of what this person has done to deserve your nomination is a perfect way to make your nomination a quality one. You might want to say ‘they have made a difference to my course’, which is great to hear. But it’s not specific, and is still vague. It’s better to say why they have made a difference. So you might say instead,

‘X listened to me and my friends about an issue we had with a module that we weren’t comfortable bringing up ourselves. X resolved the issue confidently and quickly, and we are happy with the outcome.’

Including specific examples instantly makes your nomination of a good standard, and ensures that it will be counted.

Write from the heart

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If you listen to your emotions, and how this person has really improved your university experience, or has made a difference to the community in a way you really admire, then it is easy to write an amazing nomination. Focus more on your genuine feelings. You could say something like:

‘X is really friendly and encouraging as a Course Rep. As someone who isn’t that confident at raising my opinions or issues, they’ve made the process really easy for me. I feel like our opinions and thoughts are heard and taken seriously.’

Just write what comes to mind, and it will sound genuine and sincere, and will also be a quality nomination.

If you put what we’ve suggested into action, there’s no doubt that your nomination will be a good quality one!