Entry guidelines

• Entry is free


• Unless otherwise stated in the individual category criteria, the THE Awards always concentrate primarily on activity during the last full academic year, so for 2018 our judges will be looking for outstanding examples of best practice during the 2016-17 academic year.
  
  *We will accept submissions based on projects, initiatives or endeavours that commenced prior to the 2016-17 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 2016-17 academic year if this further underlines success.
  
  **In some categories the period of focus may be wider (if so, this is stated in the specific category criteria), but we would still like to see examples of outstanding work during the 2016-17 academic year.
  
  
• All entries must be submitted online via www.the-awards.co.uk 
  
  
• You must register with us in order to enter our awards. 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. (Your details will not be shared with any third party, and will only be used by us for awards-related communications.)
  
  *If you have previously registered to enter either our 2017 THE Awards  or this year’s THELMAs, you should be able to use those login details again for these awards. 
  
  
• When logged in, entries can be drafted and redrafted as many times as you wish until you decide to press the ‘SUBMIT’ button. Just click ‘SAVE’ any time you wish to exit an incomplete submission.  
  
  
• The judges will be looking for a good story, well told, and backed up with solid metrics where applicable.
  
  
• Submissions should consist of up to 500 words of text specifically addressing the key criteria set out for the relevant category. You may also attach up to three sets of 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 submit tables, they should be included within your supporting materials rather than the submission text field. 
  
  
• 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 your entry. If you are unsure which category to choose, please contact david.suter@timeshighereducation.com  
  
  
• Our panel of judges have occasionally suggested that some promising submissions were based on projects or initiatives still relatively early in their cycle, and that given a further 12 months their impact and success may be far more evident. We are happy to consider a project a second time, but please freshen-up the previous submission and ensure you highlight activity during the subsequent 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 enter “<lead institution> in collaboration with <name> University” or, in cases where the institutions are working under a collective banner or project name, “<project name (the universities of x, y and z)>", in the ‘Institution‘ field on the entry form, and we will credit all if shortlisted.
  
  (Please note that these awards primarily 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 your entry relates to a collaboration with an external organisation who you would like to credit, please enter “<institution>, in collaboration with <organisation name> in the ‘Institution’ field on the entry form.  
  
  
• 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 it is happy for you to do so.
  
  
• If you are an individual considering submitting an entry, we ask that you let senior management and your university’s marketing team know that you are doing so, although no formal letter of approval is required by THE.
  
  
• The shortlist will be published on Thursday 6 September 2018, with the winners being announced at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Thursday 29 November 2018.
  

Supporting material

• Documents should be in PDF or Word doc format.


• Up to three sets of supporting documents may be submitted, but in total they should comprise no more than six sides of A4.


• Supporting materials may include photographs, tables, graphs, documents containing statistics, testimonials, supporting research, evaluation or inspection reports, promotional materials and media coverage (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. 

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 specific category criteria carefully.


• Ensure that your submission contains sufficient robust information. Please include relevant facts and figures where possible. Some categories may ask you to include details of a particular initiative or initiatives; please select those that best promote your expertise.


• As well as completing the ‘Institution’ 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 our shortlisting notification email, please cross-check the ID number with the one on your original acknowledgement of receipt, as it is possible that your institution may have submitted more than one entry in any single category.  

Please note that in most cases we will use the institution name rather than that of the project or team in our coverage, although on the awards evening we may 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 by email to rosie.bolam@tesglobal.com   

Please also contact Rosie if you have any general queries about our awards, or David Suter (david.suter@timeshighereducation.com) if you have any questions regarding eligibility, or require clarification on any of the category criteria or general content.