What are the awards?
The Inspirational Student Awards are a way for us to recognise those who have inspired us, whether this is by overcoming adversity, going out of their way to help others, or by being a leading light in their chosen field.
Who can win an award?
The awards are open for nominations for current students, apprentices, placement students, and small groups of students, with particular categories to recognise alumni (regardless of when they graduated), and academic societies.
We have awards for students based at Sheffield Hallam University, as well as those studying on Hallam courses at our UK Partners, and Overseas Partners.
Who can nominate?
Anyone connected with our students. We would particularly welcome nominations from staff (at Hallam and our partners), students, industry partners (e.g. placement providers), apprentice providers, and alumni.
Can I nominate more than one person?
Yes, you can either nominate a small group if they have inspired you collectively, or you can nominate fill in the form each separately for individuals who have inspired you for different reasons. There is also a category specifically for academic societies where you can nominate the society as a whole.
What categories are available?
You can find a full list of categories on our Award Categories page
How can I nominate?
By visiting our Nomination Page
Examples of good nominations can be found on our Exemplar Nominations page to help you put together the best nomination for your chosen nominee.
How do I know if I’ve been nominated?
When the nomination period closes, all those nominated, will receive a note of thanks from the university in recognition of their achievements.
How is the shortlist decided?
Each College at Sheffield Hallam, and each UK and Overseas Partner, will convene a shortlisting panel. This panel will be made up of senior leaders, academic staff, professional services (administrative) staff, and student representatives.
All nominations are anonymised to limit bias, and the shortlisting panel will read every nomination to select a shortlist.
The shortlist will be based on the quality of the nomination rather than the quantity of nominations to discourage lobbying.
What happens if I’m shortlisted?
All shortlisted nominees will receive an email confirming their shortlisted status.
All shortlisted nominations will remain anonymous but, if there is any sensitive information in your nomination, we will contact you for permission to share the information on our voting form.
How are the winners decided?
Details on how the winners will be decided will be shared on our voting page in due course.
The winners in each category will be based on those who receive the most votes, however, to maintain the spirit of the awards, we reserve the right to discount votes where there is evidence to suggest lobbying for votes has occurred.
What happens if I win?
Winners will be notified via email shortly after the votes close.
For those studying at Hallam, you will be invited to a celebratory awards evening in April.
In preparation for the evening, we will be in touch to offer the opportunity to record a piece to camera about your story at Hallam, and your nomination.
Individual award winners will receive two guest tickets for the celebration evening. One ticket is to invite a friend or family member, and the other ticket is offered to a member of Hallam staff that has inspired or supported you during your time studying.
For those who have won an employer-based award, we will look to invite a representative from the employer or placement provider to be in attendance.
Academic Societies will receive four tickets for society members (most often this would be for members of the committee), as well as an additional ticket for a member of Hallam staff who has supported or inspired the society.
At the celebratory evening, special guests, including members of the University leadership team, local employers, business owners, and previous award winners, will announce the award winners. With each winner taking to the stage to receive a certificate and trophy.
There will be an official photographer in attendance, so this is your chance to get dressed up and have some great photos to share with your achievements. These will be provided free of charge, as soon as possible following the evening.
You can view photos from past events on our Image Gallery
The celebration for our winners based in UK and Overseas partners may differ, and will be arranged locally by their local team. All winners will receive a certificate, and their award will be announced as they graduate.