Recognition matters: nominate an outstanding colleague
30 Sep 2026
We are now accepting nominations for the President’s Distinguished Achievement Awards 2027 – your opportunity to recognise colleagues and teams whose work is helping us deliver our Manchester 2035 ambitions.
Do you know a colleague or team who has made an outstanding contribution to our University? Are they always willing to put in whatever it takes to get a job done? Or do they always provide an excellent service or go out of their way to help someone or to solve a problem?
This is your opportunity to recognise their efforts by putting them forward for a President’s Distinguished Achievement Award 2027.
Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor said: “The Distinguished Achievement Awards are a chance for us to celebrate the colleagues and teams whose creativity, commitment and care make a real difference across our University.
“As we work together to deliver Manchester 2035, recognising the people who bring our strategy to life matters more than ever. Please take the time to nominate colleagues whose work helps us create a better University for our students, our colleagues and the wider communities we serve.”
Nominations can be made now until Friday 5 February 2027. The President and Vice-Chancellor will present the winners with their awards at a special ceremony in The Whitworth Hall on 1 July 2027.
Why nominate? Recognition is one of the ways we show colleagues that their contribution matters. Through Your Voice Matters, colleagues told us that feeling valued and thanked is important to their experience at work – and only 46% of colleagues felt thanked regularly for their contribution (Colleague Engagement Survey 2025). Nominate a colleague today and help celebrate the people making a difference.
Please note, nominations for the academic and student categories are processed locally by your Faculty. Look out for further information via your local communication channels.
About the Distinguished Achievement Awards 2027
These are the University’s most prestigious internal awards. They take place annually and recognise the outstanding work of colleagues and teams across the University.
Award categories include:
- Professional Services and Cultural Institutions’ individuals and teams of the year.
- Researchers of the Year
- Postgraduate Researchers of the Year
- Postgraduate Taught Students of the Year
- Undergraduate Students of the Year
- Teachers of the Year
There is also a ‘General’ category for the truly exceptional times when other categories are not appropriate.
Further information:
- About the Distinguished Achievement Awards.
- For any specific enquiries please contact Deborah Black (deborah.black@manchester.ac.uk), secretary to the University’s Awards and Honours Group or reach out to her on Teams.
- Looking for other ways to show your appreciation? Send a thank you ecard via Purple Place.