2023 Awards information and process

Judging

Our judging panel consisted of members of sparqs’ Joint Advisory Group and we are very grateful for their time and the difficult task they had, given the high standard of submissions throughout the categories! Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to enter submissions and share all the amazing work going on across the sector. 

Categories

Our seven categories include two general awards for partnership, two individual staff and student awards, and three thematic awards reflecting current priorities in student engagement.

1. A New Initiative in Partnership
   This award is for a new project or initiative that has developed partnership in the quality of the learning experience since our last awards in 2021.
2. An Established Initiative in Partnership
   This award is for a longer-standing project or initiative that has developed partnership in the quality of the learning experience over a longer period of time, including back to the foundation of sparqs.
3. Outstanding Academic Representative
   This award is for an exceptional student in a representative role at any level, including course rep, faculty rep or senior students’ association officer, who has contributed to partnership in quality in the past two years.
4. Outstanding Staff Member
   This award is for an exceptional member of staff in any role who has developed partnership in quality.
5. Sustainability in the Learning Experience
   This award is for a project, initiative or organisation which has promoted staff-student partnership in the learning experience relating to environmental sustainability in the past two years.
6. Diverse Voices
   This award is for a project, initiative or organisation in the past two years, which has promoted staff-student partnership in the learning experience relating to the advancement of equality and diversity and the development of partnership for those voices who are less often heard.
7. Digital Partnership
   This award is for a project, initiative or organisation which has used digital spaces and technologies in the past two years to promote staff-student partnership in the learning experience.

Criteria

When completing the submission form, applicants were asked to note the following criteria.

1. Impact. Nominations should demonstrate clear evidence of impact, for instance on approaches, practice or outcomes. This impact could be at any level within courses, cohorts, departments, whole institutions or externally. Nominations should not merely describe regular processes and activities, but instead should demonstrate activity and impact that goes above and beyond usual practice.
2. Contextualisation. Nominations should contextualise details such as numbers or scale to the environment or conditions in which the example has occurred. For example, impact in a limited area or with low numbers can be demonstrated as significant if the detail of that context is clear.
3. Values. All nominations should evidence how the work or individual nominated has reflected the five values outlined in sparqs’ Professional Standards Framework for Student Engagement.
4. Word count. Submissions should be a maximum of 500 words.

Dates and deadlines

• Friday 30th June 2023 (10.00am) – Close of submissions.
• Mid-August 2023 – Notification of shortlists. 
• Thursday 5th October 2023 – Announcement of the awards at our 20th birthday celebration event - 6pm until 8pm at DoubleTree SKYbar in Edinburgh. 

Submissions process

We requested that completed submission forms were emailed to admin@sparqs.ac.uk by 10.00am on Friday 30th June 2023. Applicants received an automatic confirmation of receipt.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our awards!