You’ve seen the posters, you know you have that tutor who inspires you, and now you want to nominate them for an AberSU Teaching Award… but how do you explain why they’re awesome and should win?
You’ve seen the posters, you know you have that tutor who inspires you, and now you want to nominate them for an AberSU Teaching Award… but how do you explain why they’re awesome and should win?
Writing a good nomination is about explaining what makes the person you’re nominating stand out; what they do that makes them exceptional, and what has their impact been on you.
Here are our top tips on writing a great nomination.
- Read the “small print”: Make sure you read the awards criteria and choose the category that’s the best fit. Of course, you can nominate a single person or department for multiple categories but remember to tailor these rather than copy and paste.
- All winners are equal on the night: Awards like lecturer of the year, personal tutor or the year and department of the year typically get the most nominations making it even harder to recognise all our amazing staff, so think carefully about whether they have a better chance in another category.
- Who, what, why: Let us know who you’re nominating and why.
- Be specific: Did he/she inspire you with their passion for your subject, help you become aware of your own skills, or went above and beyond when you were going through a rough time…tell us all about it.
- What makes them great?: Share their qualities! Is it their initiative, creativity, knowledge, values, approach or care they took in a situation that makes them deserve recognition? Use examples as much as possible, remember it’s not why you think they are great but how they made a difference.
- Tell us like it is: Explain the difference that this lecturer, rep or staff member has made to you. Were you inspired to apply for a funded Masters? Did they get your voice heard and help make changes to your course? Was their can-do attitude and positive approach a motivating factor in getting your degree or your thesis finished?
- Don’t be late: Get your nomination in before the deadline (12th March).
- The more the merrier: Remember there’s no limit on how many individuals / departments you nominate or how many categories you nominate them for.
Writing a great nomination isn’t hard, it’s simply about telling us exactly why someone deserves to win, backing it up with examples, and telling us how they’ve made your experience special.
So, time to have a think and get nominating! .