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Blog posted by: Imogen Findlay, 02 October 2020 – Categories: A Brilliant Civil Service, A great place to work, Skilled people.

Nominations are now open for the Civil Service Awards 2020

For the first time ever, the Civil Service Awards 2020 will take place as a virtual ceremony, drawing together colleagues online from all over the Civil Service.

If you know an individual or team who has done some brilliant work this year, nominate them for an award by 5pm on Friday 16 October for their chance to be recognised for their work and join us at our online awards ceremony on 25 February 2021.

The Civil Service Awards are an annual celebration of brilliant work achieved across the Civil Service, in areas ranging from policy to collaboration, leadership to health and wellbeing, innovation to citizenship, and more.

In advance of the awards, we heard from some of this year’s Category Champions; read on to find out why they are passionate about their categories, and what they will be looking for when you submit a nomination. To hear from more of the Category Champions, please visit the Civil Service Awards website.

Some of the 2019 Civil Service Awards winners at the awards ceremony

Words of wisdom from our Category Champions

"For The Developing People Award, we are looking for teams and individuals who contribute to making the Civil Service a brilliant place to work through their contributions to learning, skills development, strengthening capability and talent management. We want to hear about those who have made a real difference through their exceptional contribution to their team, wider unit, department or the whole Civil Service, their innovative approach and their "best-in-class" practice. So I hope we will all take the time to nominate those teams and individuals who have inspired us and show them how much we value what they are doing."

Elizabeth Gardiner, First Parliamentary Counsel and Permanent Secretary of the Government in Parliament Group in the Cabinet Office, and Developing People Category Champion

"I am incredibly proud of and impressed by the level of government communications over the past year, and am very much looking forward to seeing the nominations for The Communication Award. This year, we are inviting video submissions for this category, which I hope will encourage and inspire government communicators to think differently about their work, and approach the nomination with innovation and enthusiasm. Communicating effectively both internally and externally is hugely important, ensuring our messages are presented in a clear and engaging manner, whether our audience is our own colleagues, other government departments, or the wider public. I will be looking for nominations that demonstrate a measurable impact for the public, and I look forward to being reminded of the truly excellent work that has been delivered in government communications this year."

Alex Aiken, Executive Director of the Government Communication Service, and Communication Category Champion

"This has been an extraordinary year for science. Framed by the environment of COVID-19, civil servants have ensured a strong, evidence-based foundation for all decisions, with science at the forefront of policy-making and guidance. The lessons we have learned this year are not limited to scientific policy, but transferable across government, and serve to emphasise the continued importance of well-researched and well-supported reasoning behind all our decisions as a Civil Service. I am looking forward to hearing about the excellent work that has gone on across departments and celebrating your successes."

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession, and Science Category Champion

"What is an inspirational leader? With The Inspirational Leadership Award, we are looking for more than a good manager. An inspirational leader is someone who does just that - inspires. They bring the best out of their teams, they share their enthusiasm with those around them, they create measurable improvements, they care about their teams as people as well as colleagues, they make sure everyone is supported, included, and engaged in their day-to-day. This is not necessarily someone who manages a large team or a whole department; irrespective of grade, anyone can be an inspirational leader. We are relying on you to help us find them."

Dame Shan Morgan, Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government, and Inspirational Leadership Category Champion

The nomination form, categories and their respective criteria, FAQs and further helpful guidance on submitting a nomination can all be found on the Civil Service Awards website. The awards are open for nominations until 5pm on Friday 16 October and the ceremony itself will be held on 25 February 2021. Good luck!

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