inspire! award nomination - learning and work€¦ · awards nominations, email:...

How to write a successfulInspire! Award nomination

The key to a well-written nomination is providing thejudging panel with specific information illustratinghow the individual’s, group’s or organisation’slearning achievements have had a positive impacton their life, their families, their communities or thedevelopment of their organisation’s business. • Write short sentences that are concise and givespecific detail. Keep it brief..• Support their nomination with your ownobservations as well as qualitative and quantitativeinformation, tell us why your nominee deserve towin an Inspire! Award.• Provide a complete overview of the nominee’s,group’s or organisation’s accomplishments. It isimportant to tell the nominee’s story as you would toa stranger.

Top tips for your nomination

Type your nomination in a Word document first:This will make it easier to check and correct yournomination before copying and pasting into theform. This will save time and allow you to conveyyour message more clearly. Be detailed:If you don’t know the person you are nominatingpersonally, supply as much detail as you can, Solicit information from others to strengthen thenomination. Describe unique characteristics that aremore than just that the nominee is a great or niceperson. Select the correct category:Read the category definitions to determine whichbest reflects your nominee’s achievements. Think about what type of learning activity and rolesin which they have excelled. The number ofexamples is not as important as ensuring that thenominee’s contributions match the award criteria.

Give good examples:Always explain how your nominee has achievedsuccess in learning. Do not use assertions such as“The nominee has worked hard to learn”; explainwhat the nominee has done with evidence. Explain properly:Who they are, what exactly they have done andlearned, what barriers have they overcome, theimpact of learning on their life and/or the lives ofothers, and why they are worthy of an Inspire!Award. Background information:Supporting documents can be submitted as part ofyour nomination, such as website links, photographs,news articles, social media links and Letters ofSupport. Please keep it brief and relevant. Verify all information in the nomination:Nominations should be checked carefully to verifythat all information submitted is accurate and in linewith our guidance.

How to structure yournomination

Opening Statement:Start with a clear, direct, and specific statement ofwhy the nominee deserves to win an Inspire! Award.Include enough information for the panel to becomefamiliar with the nominee’s specific challengesfaced, learning undertaken and results or goals met.List the most important information in the first fewsentences and then elaborate as necessary. Justification:Even though the justification is concise, it should notbe vague. Avoid sweeping generalities and makeevery sentence count. The selection panel is relyingon your words to give them a positive, factualpicture of your nominee’s learningaccomplishments. Explaining detailed behavioursand giving specific examples will make it obviouswhy someone deserves to be recognised.

Supporting Statements:Support the opening statement with specificexamples that address the award criteria andelaborate on why the nominee’s accomplishmentsare worthy of the award. Include qualities that makethis person outstanding, and that are clearly relevantto the award criteria. Consider including ‘What didthe nominee do?’ ‘How did they do it?’ and ‘Whatwere the results and/or impact?’, in your supportingstatements: Closing Statement: Tell us what the next steps are for your nominee intheir learning journey. Describe how others regardthe nominee (e.g. fellow learners, tutors oremployees and employers). Sum up the statementby telling us the biggest reason your nomineedeserves to win an Inspire! Award. Mentioning otherawards or achievements could substantiate this. If you have any queries about the Inspire! Awardsnominations, email: inspire@learningandwork.org.uk