The Honours System in the UK really is the pinnacle of acknowledgement and achievement.  The Honours System recognises people who have either made a significant contribution in public life or who have committed themselves to serving and helping Britain.  In short, it’s all about making life better for other people or being absolutely outstanding in what they do.

Did you know that you can nominate someone for an MBE, OBE or CBE?  Seriously, the word document form is downloadable from the www.gov.uk website or here in fact: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nominate-someone-for-a-uk-national-honour

They also publish an extremely handy ‘How to Write Nominations’ guide here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/…/How_to_write_a_nomination.pdf

At The Awards People we have worked with a good few private and business clients helping them to craft the perfect nomination that really does bring to life the skills, attributes and achievements of their nominee.  We’ve also helped to shape and craft the all-important letters of support and have even taken on the heavy lifting of gathering in these letters (everyone’s busy and even for something as prestigious as this you’re likely to fall down someone’s ‘to do’ list if you don’t politely follow up with them).

Right now we’re supporting private clients with a CBE nomination, an OBE nomination and two clients with MBE nominations.  Because we’re working with family members who are privately nominating an individual it would not be right to share names or stories at this stage – but we will do when they’re recognised for sure because the stories are both incredible and deeply inspiring, proving that there are, indeed, wonderful people in this fabulous world of ours.

So what would be our top five tips if you want to do this for a family, friend or colleague that you think is deserving?

Our Top Five Tips on Writing an Honours Nomination:

1. Carefully read through the nomination form and ‘How to Write Nominations’ guide. Underline anything that really jumps out at you and seek guidance from the Cabinet Office if you’re confused about any aspect of the nomination form.  They are there to answer questions and we have always found them to be hugely helpful
2. Think about your letters of support before you even start completing the nomination form. We know, it all sounds backwards but in our experience they often take far longer to collect than you think, plus you really need to think about who you’re asking and, possibly, even coach them a little in terms of what you want them to cover in their letter of support
3. Answer the question being asked NOT the question you want them to ask! Answer fully but remember that being succinct wins the day, War and Peace…. not so much
4. Add in photographs to illustrate the story and the person you’re writing about. Those reading the nominations really do want to get a sense of the person being nominated and a good three or four photos across the nomination form will help them to connect with that person
5. Remember that the Cabinet Office works a long way in advance. An Honour is not given lightly and there is a lot of checking that goes on behind the scenes meaning that a nomination form can take, literally, months to process.  So, don’t expect to submit your nomination in November and for your nominee be announced in the New Year’s Honours List the following January.  It’s more likely that they would (if they make it through the rigorous selection process) be notified in the Queen’s Birthday Honours (June) or the New Year’s Honours List for the following year. That’s how far in advance the Cabinet Office works

 

What Else Should You Know?

1. Your nominee must still be actively involved in what you’re nominating them for. The only Honours which can be awarded after someone’s death are Gallantry Awards
2. Whether someone gets an Honour, and the Honour they get, is decided by an Honours Committee. The Committee’s recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the Queen, who awards the Honour
3. Anyone can nominate someone for an Honour
4. You can only nominate individuals for Honours, not Groups
5. You will get an acknowledgement of your submitted nomination but you may not hear anything further for 12 to 18 months (see above for more details on why)

What People Get Honours For

People get Honours for achievements like;

• Making a difference to their community or field of work
• Enhancing Britain’s reputation
• Long-term voluntary service
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Changing things, with an emphasis on achievement
• Improving life for people less able to help themselves
• Displaying moral courage

 

Honours are given to people involved in fields including;

• Community, voluntary and local services
• Arts and media
• Health
• Sport
• Education
• Science and technology
• Business and the economy
• Civil or political service

 

If we can help you with your nomination or answer any questions you might have on the above drop Rach a line via email: rachel@theawardspeople.co.uk or by calling 07976 806 578.

Good luck!