What should a recognition nomination include?

Name the contribution, when it happened, the nominee’s role and an outcome you can support. Explain how the evidence meets the published criteria. Credit collaborators instead of attributing a shared project to one person.

How long should a nomination be?

Follow the programme’s stated limit. A concise account with one or two well-supported examples is usually easier to assess than a long list of adjectives. Include links or records only where reviewers have authorised access.

Can a team be nominated?

That depends on the award rules. If team nominations are allowed, describe the group’s contribution and how the work was shared. If only individual nominations are accepted, avoid crediting one person with everybody’s work.

Recognition glossary

Recognition nomination

A recognition nomination is a proposal to acknowledge a person or team through a formal award or selection process, supported by evidence of their contribution.

Give a reviewer something they can assess

“Always goes above and beyond” expresses an opinion. A nomination needs the event behind it. Describe the work, the nominee’s role and what changed, then connect those facts to the award criteria. The sample nominations on this page are fictional illustrations, not customer stories.

If you did not witness the whole contribution, say which part you know. A project lead may understand the planning, while a colleague can describe the handover they received. Those perspectives can complement each other without turning into invented certainty.

Separate evidence from persuasive writing

A polished nomination is easier to read, but writing skill should not decide who receives recognition. A short structured form can help: contribution, role, supporting detail and relevant criterion. Let employees submit an example in ordinary language.

Where several people did the work, name the division of responsibility. The person presenting the result may not be the person who maintained the records or found the problem. Reviewers should have enough context to recognise that distinction.

Keep the process open enough to understand

Publish deadlines and eligibility alongside the form. Explain who reviews nominations and how conflicts are handled. Give nominators a confirmation so they know the submission arrived, without promising selection.

A nomination belongs to formal recognition. Colleagues should still be able to thank each other directly while waiting for an award decision; a panel process does not need to become the only way appreciation happens.

What it looks like

Illustrative nomination: “I nominate the service desk team for documenting the account-recovery checks. New starters can now follow the approved process, and the team keeps the guide current.”
Illustrative nomination: “I nominate Maya for coordinating the supplier handover. She identified the open orders, assigned follow-up owners and checked that the receiving team could access the records.”

Questions people ask

What should a recognition nomination include?: Name the contribution, when it happened, the nominee’s role and an outcome you can support. Explain how the evidence meets the published criteria. Credit collaborators instead of attributing a shared project to one person.
How long should a nomination be?: Follow the programme’s stated limit. A concise account with one or two well-supported examples is usually easier to assess than a long list of adjectives. Include links or records only where reviewers have authorised access.
Can a team be nominated?: That depends on the award rules. If team nominations are allowed, describe the group’s contribution and how the work was shared. If only individual nominations are accepted, avoid crediting one person with everybody’s work.