How to strengthen your nomination: evidence, impact, and clarity

A successful nomination clearly communicates who you're nominating, why they deserve recognition, and the tangible impact of their work. Use the following guidance to ensure your submission is compelling, well-supported, and aligned with the award criteria.

Tell the story clearly

• Be clear and direct: Begin with a concise summary of who you're nominating and why. Think of it like a headline: capture the essence of their achievement in a few lines before expanding into detail.
• Provide context: Outline the nominee’s role, responsibilities, and the scope of their work. Help the judging panel understand the environment in which the impact was made.

Use evidence to support your case

• Include tangible proof: Strengthen your nomination with supporting materials such as project outcomes, data, testimonials, media coverage, case studies, or stakeholder feedback.
• Showcase achievements: Use examples that highlight innovation, leadership, collaboration, or service excellence. Demonstrate how the nominee/s work created meaningful change.

Focus on impact

• Highlight outcomes: Go beyond describing activities and focus on what was achieved and the difference it made. Include metrics, survey results, financial data, or improvements to processes, services, or culture.
• Demonstrate excellence: Show how the nominee’s contribution went above and beyond expectations, delivering lasting value to the University community.

Keep it clear and aligned

• Refer to the criteria: Ensure your nomination directly addresses the relevant award criteria. This helps the judging panel assess alignment and impact.
• Use plain language: Avoid jargon, acronyms, or overly complex language. Write clearly and concisely, using bullet points where appropriate to improve readability.
• Review and refine: Take time to edit your nomination. A well-structured, polished submission is easier to assess and more likely to stand out. Consider asking a colleague to review your draft for clarity and completeness

Copilot can help you start, refine and strengthen your nomination. You are still the expert on your colleague(s) work and should ensure the details are accurate and reflect their real impact.

We’ve included some suggested prompts in this guide to help you refine your nomination.

Getting started

• Think of your nomination like a short story: start with the key message, then build detail and evidence.
• Introduce the nominee(s): Who they are, what do they do, and what is their contribution?
• Set the context: Explain the area of work and its importance.
• Highlight the impact: Focus on achievements and their impact on students, staff, or the community.

Copilot prompt to get started:

Refine the nomination

Think of your nomination like a short story: start with the key message, then build detail and evidence that aligns closely with the award criteria.

• Provide proof: Include metrics, survey results, testimonials, case studies, or external recognition.
• Be specific: Describe what was achieved and what changed as a result.
• Check the criteria: Make sure each part of your nomination links clearly to the award’s selection criteria.
• Polish your draft: Edit for clarity, cut repetition, and ensure a logical flow.
• Seek fresh eyes: Ask a colleague to review for clarity and impact.

Copilot prompt to refine your draft:

Provide Copilot with your full draft

Final tips

Once you’ve drafted your nomination, the next step is to enhance it and ensure it's backed by strong evidence and aligns closely with the award criteria.

• Stay concise: Keep within word limits (max 500 words).
• Be impactful: Lead with achievements that are above and beyond normal expectations.
• Think of the reader: Make it easy for the judging panel to understand the story and evidence.

Copilot prompt to review your final nomination submission:

• To be eligible, a nominator must be a University of Newcastle staff member.
• The Excellence Awards are open to all staff members, including full-time or fractional, fixed-term, sessional and causal staff. External contractors are not eligible.
• Some award categories may have additional eligibility criteria. See each individual award category page for further information.
• Nominees must be employees of the University of Newcastle at the time of the nomination period.
• Staff cannot self-nominate for individual awards; however, teams are permitted to nominate their own team for team-based award categories
• Team nominations should generally be limited to 10 members, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If your team exceeds this number or you’re unsure, please contact the People Experience Team in Human Resource Services at excellenceawards@newcastle.edu.au to discuss your nomination before submission.
• Individuals or teams can be nominated for more than one award category.
• A recipient of an Excellence Award is only eligible for re-nomination in subsequent years on the basis there were significant new achievements or developments to be considered.
• Nominees may request to be removed from the nomination process at any stage.
• Unsuccessful nominees may be nominated again in subsequent years.
• To receive prize money, nominees must be employed on a current contract at the time of the nomination period. The University has discretion to make payment equivalent for the prize through accounts payable.
• The University gives the Chief People and Culture Officer full discretion over the allocation of any prize money.
• Finalists and award recipients may have their profiles (including names, images and biographies) published in any media format associated with the Awards or the University of Newcastle.

All nominations submitted for the Excellence Awards are reviewed through a structured and transparent selection process, designed to uphold the integrity and fairness of the awards.

• Eligible nominations are reviewed and scored by dedicated Award Committees using a category-specific rubric in Award Force. Committees then meet to discuss and rank top submissions, selecting winners and finalists by majority agreement. Final selections are confirmed following an eligibility check and endorsed by the University.
• Award committee members will be senior staff members with expertise relating to the award category.
• All decisions made by the award committee are final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome.
• The University reserves the right to withhold any award or decide not to make an award in any category, at its discretion.
• No member of the award committee may be nominated for an award.
• Finalists will be published in The Loop on Wednesday 19 November 2025.

• Award recipients will be advised in writing and invited to attend the Excellence Awards celebration event on Tuesday 9 December 2025.
• Award recipients will be announced via The Loop following the event.