Sustainable UEA Awards

 

The SustainableUEA Awards recognise the achievements of staff and students across UEA who have made contributions to UEA's sustainability agenda.

The awards celebrate their work in making the University and local, regional, and international communities more sustainable for current and future generations. The Awards use the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to evaluate impact of the projects.

Applicants can either enter themselves or nominate UEA colleagues or students for the awards. They may apply for as many of the six awards as they wish. Submitting an entry using the online form is quick and easy and the General Criteria below explains the acceptable formats.

The submissions are judged by a panel made up of sustainability specialists from the public, private and civil society sectors.

The 2021 winners were announced at the virtual SustainableUEA Awards ceremony held on Wednesday 26 May 2021.

 

2021 Winners and Finalists

 

Key Dates

Deadlines for entry: 2021-22 programme TBC

Awards Ceremony: 2022 Ceremony TBC

  • Projects can be put forward from 2019/20 or 2020/21 academic years.

  • More than one project can be submitted but will need to be submitted in separate forms.

  • Applicants can enter themselves as an individual or a group or nominate colleagues or students at UEA for one of the inaugural SustainableUEA Awards. There are six awards to choose from and one or more can be entered.

  • All award submissions must address one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), therefore, must state which SDG(s) has been addressed (including within each award category entered) and how it relates to the project. You will find further information on the SDG website at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

  • Entries must be submitted digitally through the MS Form in one of the following formats:
    (Note: Section 3 is Award Categories; Section 5 is File Uploads)

    • Written piece - enter in Section 3.

    • Video - upload in Section 5; no more than 2 minutes in length and if there is spoken word you must include subtitles or a transcript for accessibility purposes; also add a note in the relevant award category(s) in Section 3 to confirm which category(s) the project is being entered for.

    • Photographs/artwork - upload in Section 5; a written description(s) must also be provided in the relevant award category(s) in Section 3

    • Digital e.g., a web page/ blog/ social media campaign - a written description must be provided in the relevant award category(s) in Section 3 along with the link to your digital source

    • Performance piece - upload in Section 5; no more than 2 minutes in length and if there is spoken word you must include subtitles or a transcript for accessibility purposes; also add a note in the relevant award category(s) in Section 3 to confirm which category(s) the project is being entered for

  • All narratives must not be more than 300 words (anything more than 300 words will be removed before being given to the judges)

  • Deadline for entries: Wednesday 28 April 2021, 12:00pm
     

GDPR disclaimer: Please do not include/upload any information which may contain sensitive personal data other than your name in Section 2

All submitted projects taking place on campus or in the community must follow the UK Government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance at the time.

A suggested format for submissions is to follow the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.

All submissions will be assessed by a panel of judges, who will be particularly interested in how submissions address the SDGs and demonstrate the impact of the project.

Award Categories Criteria

This category recognises staff in any part of UEA who have worked hard at implementing a sustainability project or initiative (or several), including the hidden heroes who faithfully work in the background to advance the cause of sustainability at UEA.

Tell us about a colleague (or yourself) who has gone the extra mile to implement a sustainability project, practice or culture.

Demonstrate how the individual’s involvement has made a positive impact on their peers, their students, the institution, or their local community.

Highlight examples of how the nominated person has a positive attitude, a willingness to help in whatever capacity necessary, and a commitment to making UEA more sustainable. The actions should be over and above the normal requirements of their role.

[Please state your relationship to the person you are nominating. If you nominate yourself, you should include a short supporting statement in Section 5, from a manager or peer (100 words max.)].

This category recognises students with excellent leadership skills, who have encouraged, empowered and inspired others to take action towards a more sustainable future.

Tell us about a student (or yourself) who has led the way on an exciting sustainability initiative, project, or campaign at UEA or in the local community.

Demonstrate how the individual’s leadership has made a positive change for sustainability at UEA or in the local community. 

[Please state your relationship to the person you are nominating. If you nominate yourself, you should include a short supporting statement in Section 5, from someone in a supervisory role e.g., lecturer, or a peer (100 words max.)].

This category recognises peoples' achievements in the development of academic courses, skills and capabilities relevant to sustainable development.

Tell us about your initiative that has educated others in sustainable development.

Demonstrate how action has been taken to embed sustainability principles into existing courses or to create new sustainable development learning opportunities. These can be undergraduate or postgraduate courses or initiatives related to wider purposes such as community involvement, global or environmental awareness and activism, or initiatives to support lifestyle changes.

Examples include:

  • Continuing professional development (CPD) activities

  • Short courses for practitioners

  • The development of new courses focused on some or all sustainable development issues

  • Adaptation of existing courses

  • Use of practical sustainability-related projects or other practical activities within courses

This category recognises people who have identified and implemented a project to improve biodiversity or sustainability on campus. Projects can be anywhere on campus, including open outdoor spaces or inside spaces.

Tell us about how you have worked to make UEA a ‘greener’ campus.

Describe the project and how it has improved biodiversity and / or sustainability on campus.  

Examples include:

  • a new biodiversity monitoring or management project

  • an initiative to help UEA work towards their net zero carbon emissions commitment

  • an initiative to increase ability of people to enjoy the outdoor parts of campus

  • an initiative to reduce waste, energy or water use e.g., in a laboratory, catering outlet

This category recognises people who have collaborated with others beyond UEA to further a sustainable development cause and initiatives which have included those who are often marginalised whilst addressing a sustainability project or challenge.

Tell us about how you have led or developed a community engagement project off campus, with a focus on sustainability.

The project does not have to be large scale - it just needs to demonstrate how teams or individuals have worked hard to create some interesting partnerships to provide great sustainability outcomes.

Applicants should describe: 

  • Which community groups or collaboration partners have you worked with?

  • What action was taken?

  • What methods of engagement did you use?

  • What positive impacts has it had?

  • Who were the beneficiaries?

  • How did an inclusive approach enable more successful outcomes for people and planet?

This category recognises people who inspire others to think differently and take action on sustainability and environmental issues in a new and creative way.

Tell us about how you have used your creativity to further the sustainable development cause.

Describe your creative approach and demonstrate how your creative ideas and insights can provide radical solutions to combatting local and/or global sustainability issues.

Creative projects must communicate the importance to drive positive change and provoke passion, interest, thought and encouragement to act.

Your creative work could be produced using any format, e.g., creative writing, thinking, artwork, film, music, theatre, online formats, social media etc.

In addition to your written statement below, you may also upload your project in Section 5 if you wish.

Awards Submission Form

The link to the Awards Submission Form will reopen next year for the 2021/22 awards.