Well, the nominations for winning a Soldiering On Award are underway and we’re thrilled with the response so far!  If you’ve already submitted a nomination – thank you! Remember that you can nominate more than one person, so if anyone else (person, business, charity or any other organisation) inspires you – please feel free to nominate them too!

This blog gives you some super tips to make sure your nominee stands out when the judges are working through the forms.

BUT PLEASE NOTE….

Sadly, not all the nominations we’ve received so far meet the guidelines to be forwarded to the judging panel. Either they don’t include all the information we need or the person being nominated hasn’t given their consent.  (We are giving feedback to those affected,  BUT please note that it makes it so much easier to get it right the first time.)

Please read the guidance below to make sure your nominee stands the best chance of winning!

BEFORE you begin…

1. The person or organisation you’re nominating must be associated with the Armed Forces Community by their work or their volunteering activities. For individuals, they can be serving or former members of the UK Armed Forces or, indeed, members of the general public. For organisations, they can be charities, public service bodies, social enterprises or military establishments.
2. Your nominee can be based or be working anywhere in the world, but they must have an association with and benefit for the wider UK Armed Forces Community.
3. Before you submit your nomination form, you MUST have the agreement of the person, or the main named representative (Point of Contact) of the group or organisation being nominated. Also, they MUST have validated the factual accuracy of the information you submit. Whilst you may think it would be lovely to surprise someone later on down the line, this is not possible for this process.
4. In line with our Privacy Policy, the person or organisation you are nominating MUST have given their consent that we may share their information, including photos, with whoever we feel it is necessary, and for marketing purposes, including on social media. (We can be discreet to comply with special conditions, where this is requested for a valid reason.)
5. We can only accept nominations via the online process. If you’re unable to use this, please email us for advice. Please do not send an email or postal nomination without speaking to us first as this may be rejected.
6. Please read the definition and criteria for the relevant Award category and check that your entry complies with it.
7. You can nominate someone for more than one award, but you must submit a separate nomination form each time. An example of this would be if you want to nominate an organisation for the Working Together Award, as well as someone within that organisation for an individual award. It may be that you’d like to nominate someone for two awards – for example, Family Values and Inspiration awards. If you’re not sure what to do, please email us  for guidance.
8. The FAQ page gives details of the deadline, when finalists will be announced, the finalists’ reception and awards night. Please take a few minutes to read it.

Writing your nomination…

And now our top tips to give your nominee the best chance!

1. Include as much information as possible within the word limits.
2. Give us clear examples of the nominee’s work.
3. Tell us about the range or scope of their work or achievements.
4. Explain the impact that their work has had on those that it has helped or supported.
5. Include one jpeg photograph of your nominee, at least 500KB and ideally a square image.
6. Include another photo that illustrates the work and/or achievements that they are being nominated for. Again, this must be in JPEG format, of at least 500KB and should ideally be square. (If the photo includes other people we will need their permission to use their images.)
7. If you are nominating a group or organisation, please include their logo if possible. This too, should be in JPEG format, and not exceed 2MB.

You can read more here.

So now you’re ready to begin…

We wish you and your nominee the very best of luck!