Entry guidelines

Our awards are simple to enter and open to anyone involved in UK higher education.

The Most Innovative Contribution to Business-University Collaboration category rewards a business, but all other awards will be given to higher education institutions, teams or individuals working in the sector. For the above named award we will accept submissions from either universities or the companies themselves, but all entries must be endorsed by the partnering institutions.

• Entry is free


• You will need to register with us in order to enter our awards this year*, but your details will only be used by us for awards-related communications. Once registered, your details will be retained on the site whenever you are logged in, and consequently you will not be required to re-enter them when making additional submissions.



* If you registered to enter our THELMAs earlier in the year, please use those details (you do not need to re-register for the THE Awards)

• Once your account has been created, you will have greater control over your entries, which can now be drafted and revised up until you decide to click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button. Just click ‘SAVE’ any time you wish to exit an incomplete submission.


• All entries should be endorsed by the applicant’s institution or organisation.


• These awards celebrate achievements during the 2015-16 academic year*, and are open to anyone involved in UK higher education.



We will accept submissions based on projects, initiatives or endeavours that commenced prior to the 2015-16 academic year, provided that core achievements have taken place during this main period of focus. We will also accept any evidence that has come to light after the close of the 2015-16 academic year if this further underlines success.

*In some categories the period of focus is necessarily wider (this is stated in the specific criteria), but we would still like to see examples of outstanding work during the 2015-16 academic year.

• All entries must be submitted online. The submission text should be no more than 500 words in length, and must address the key criteria set out for the relevant category.


• In addition to the 500-word submission, you may also attach supporting materials, which should be no more than six sides of A4 in total.



Please see below for more details on the supporting material requirements.

• If you wish to include tables, they should form part of the supporting materials rather than your main submission text.


• You may enter as many categories as you wish, but you must complete a separate submission for each one.
  


• You may also submit more than one entry per category where projects or initiatives are distinctive and unrelated. Otherwise we advise you to combine the best elements of each in a stronger single entry.


• No submission should be entered in more than one category. Please choose the most appropriate single category for each entry.


• Our judges have previously noted that some promising submissions were based on projects or initiatives that were still relatively early in their cycle, and that given a further 12 months their impact and success may be far more evident. We welcome repeat submissions, adapted to include more recent information outlining significant progress during the additional 12-month period.


• You may enter a project that has been undertaken in collaboration with an external public or private partner, but the award will be given to the winning higher education institution.


• If your entry relates to an initiative or project carried out in collaboration with other institutions, the submission should come from the lead institution. In such cases, please state “<lead institution> in collaboration with <name> University” or, in cases where the institutions are working under a collective banner, “<institution name> on behalf of <project name>”, in the ‘Institution name’ field on the entry form and we will credit them if shortlisted.



(Please note that these awards recognise achievements in UK institutions, but we will acknowledge the importance of overseas partners in collaborative projects. In such cases the entry should still be submitted by the UK institution)

• If there is no lead institution in a collaborative project, to avoid multiple entries focusing on the same project, please agree who will make the submission on behalf of the partnership, and enter “<institution a> and <institution b>" in the ‘Institution name’ field. All collaborating institutions may be named in the ‘Institution name’ field on the entry form, and will be credited if the project is shortlisted.


• Entries can be completed by institutions themselves or their suppliers (architects, PR companies, etc.). If you are entering on behalf of an institution, please make sure they are happy for you to do so.


• The shortlist will be published on Thursday 7 September 2017, with the winners being announced at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London on Thursday 30 November 2017.

Supporting material

• Documents should be in PDF or Word doc. format.


• Up to three sets of supporting materials are permitted, but in total they should comprise no more than six sides of A4.


• Supporting materials may include photographs, tables, documents containing statistics, testimonials, supporting research, evaluation or inspection reports, press cuttings and promotional material. Please highlight any sections you believe are particularly relevant.


• PowerPoint and video files will not be accepted; however, you may submit screen shots.

Any information submitted outside these guidelines will not be considered as part of the submission.

Preparing your entry

• When preparing your submission please review the category criteria carefully.


• Ensure that your submission contains sufficient robust information. Include relevant facts and figures where possible.


• As well as completing the ‘Institution name’ field on the application form, where applicable please ensure that you also enter the specific team or project in the ‘Nominee’ field.

On receipt of your submission, a unique ID number will be generated and emailed to you. This will be quoted in subsequent THE Awards 2017 correspondence relating to your entry, including any notification of shortlisting, so please do cross-check this, particularly if your institution has submitted more than one entry in any category.

Please note that we will use the institution name rather than that of the project or team in our coverage, although on the awards evening we will refer more specifically to the shortlisted project or team.

The contact details you provide in your entry form will be used throughout the awards process. If these details change after the form has been submitted, please send your new contact information to lindsey.fox@tesglobal.com.

Please also contact Lindsey if you have any general queries about our awards, or david.suter@timeshighereducation.com if you have any questions regarding eligibility for entry, or require clarification on any of the category criteria.