Recognising student impact
The University of Portsmouth Student Impact Awards recognise the achievements of our students and their contributions to our city and wider region.
Our students make countless positive contributions to society every year and these awards, organised by the University and the Students’ Union, are just one way for us to celebrate them.
Students can be nominated for their contributions as an individual or as part of a club or society, and for activities related to their studies or extracurricular activities. This could be volunteering, fundraising, or starting a new business — or contributing to live businesses as a placement student, graduate employee, or through a project.
Award categories
These awards highlight different forms of civic contribution to celebrate the diverse ways students positively impact their communities and beyond.
Volunteer Impact Award
Recognising a student or group for their positive impact on Portsmouth or the wider area through volunteering.
Cultural Impact Award
Celebrating a student or group's positive cultural contributions in Portsmouth over the past year.
Placement Impact Award
Acknowledging a student who has made a significant impact within their host organisation during their placement year.
A candidate from each Faculty will be shortlisted.
New Graduate Impact Award
Honouring a recent University graduate who has made a positive contribution in their first year of employment, and graduates who have made a significant impact locally, nationally, or internationally.
Degree Apprentice of the Year
Awarding a Degree Apprentice for significant contributions to their business in the past year.
Sustainability Impact Award
Recognising individual, team, or group efforts that have positively impacted environmental sustainability, either locally or beyond.
Health and Wellbeing Impact Award
Celebrating contributions to physical and/or mental health, wellness, and overall well-being in our community.
Global Outreach Impact Award
Awarded to an individual, team or group for activities which have internationalised their student experience, enhanced their global or cultural outlook and represented the University of Portsmouth abroad.
Diversity Impact Award
Celebrating efforts that support or raise awareness of equality and diversity in Portsmouth.
Research Impact Award
Acknowledging research by students that has made, or has the potential, to make a positive societal contribution.
Entrepreneurs Impact Award
Awarding a University student(s) or graduate(s) who started a successful new business in the past five years, positively impacting the city or region.
Alumni Impact Award
Awarding a graduate who has demonstrated great potential in making a positive impact on society.
Student Achievement Impact Award
Celebrating the exceptional achievements of a student or group of students in any field — recognising their outstanding contributions to academia, community service, leadership, innovation, and other areas where they have demonstrated excellence and made a significant impact on the University of Portsmouth and the wider community.
Vice Chancellor’s Award
Recognising students who have significantly contributed to the University's civic reputation through their local, national, or international efforts.
Student Impact Awards Evening
Shortlisting
Nominees will be shortlisted in each award category after nominations close.
Shortlisted nominees will then be invited to the Student Impact Awards Evening with a guest.
Judging
Each category will have a winner and a runner-up selected by the review panel and announced at the Awards Evening.
The panel is made up of members from the University Executive Board, Students' Union Executives, regional dignitaries and academic colleagues.
Prizes
Award winners receive a commemorative trophy, with winners and runners up receiving printed certificates.
Shortlisted students receive a digital certificate.
Student Impact Awards: Winners 2024
There were 14 categories and each one was tailored to acknowledge different forms of civic contribution, emphasising the diverse ways students can positively impact their community and beyond.
Make a nomination
Any current University of Portsmouth student can be nominated for the Student Impact Awards, either as an individual or as a member of a group. Graduates can be nominated for specific awards.
You can submit a nomination if you are a student employer, voluntary organisation, member of staff, or student with us. Students can self-nominate.
Students could be nominated for an activity that is a part of their studies, or for something they have done as an extracurricular activity. If the nomination is related to their course, the activity should demonstrate how they have gone beyond the expectations and requirements of their studies.
If you aren’t sure how an activity might fit into the Student Impact Awards, speak to the Students' Union for advice.
Nominations will open in January 2025.
Your nomination should:
- Highlight the best award for your nominee. Choose the most fitting category by reading the award descriptions above.
- Include clear evidence that your nominee meets the award criteria. We’ll shortlist nominees using only the information that you provide, regardless of any existing knowledge the panel has of the student, team or project.
- Demonstrate the positive impact your nominee or team has had outside of the University while studying with us. This may be an impact on the city, region, UK or overseas and can be a one-off or ongoing activity.
- Provide as much detail as you can to evidence the impact and reach of the activities of the nominee.
To nominate more than one nominee, or to nominate someone for more than one category, you need to submit the form separately for each nomination and include detail about how each nomination differs.
What are we looking for?
Judges will look for evidence of how the nominated students, as an individual or as part of a committee or group, have had a positive impact outside of the University while studying with us, and how they have contributed positively to the reputation of the University of Portsmouth. Their contribution could be focused in the city, local region or further afield.
The judges will also be looking for evidence of how the nominees have used or developed the Graduate Attributes that the University aims to nurture and develop among our students.