Award Categories

Eligibility: Recognising apprentices who have demonstrated outstanding commitment, performance, and growth within their organisation. This Award celebrates individuals who have shown exceptional promise, contributed positively to their team or wider business, and embraced learning opportunities to develop their skills and career potential.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• Examples of high performance and meaningful contributions that have positively impacted the team, department, or organisation.
• Demonstrated commitment to learning, including proactive engagement with their apprenticeship programme and willingness to develop new skills.
• Instances where the apprentice has taken initiative, solved problems, or shown creativity in their role.
• Positive feedback from colleagues, managers, or customers that highlights professionalism, work ethic, and reliability.
• Evidence of personal growth, increased confidence, or progression resulting from the apprenticeship experience.
• Effective collaboration within the team and emerging behaviours that demonstrate long‑term career potential.

Eligibility: Recognising visionary people leaders who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and have been instrumental in driving innovative and forward-thinking HR strategies within their organisations. Should have at least 10 years working in HR.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• Demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities, with a clear track record of influencing culture, performance, and organisational outcomes.
• Has implemented innovative or forward‑thinking HR strategies or practices that have delivered meaningful and positive organisational impact.
• Has achieved measurable improvements in key areas such as employee engagement, talent management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, organisational culture, or workforce effectiveness.
• Consistently role‑models behaviours that inspire trust, collaboration, and high performance across teams and the wider organisation.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking and the ability to navigate complex people challenges with creativity, empathy, and accountability.

Eligibility: This Award is open to HR teams working within small and medium sized enterprises with under 250 employees. It recognises teams that have delivered exceptional results across multiple areas of HR in a way that aligns with organisational values, supports business priorities, and demonstrates the distinct impact an effective people function can have within an SME environment.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• The team’s work should have a significant, positive impact on the organisation. This could be measured in terms of improved processes, cost savings, or other key performance indicators.
• Demonstrating exceptional teamwork, which includes effective communication, collaboration, and mutual respect among team members.
• Applying innovative approaches to address key business issues or multiple projects as part of the people strategy.
• Contributing to the overall success of the organisation, demonstrated by measurements such as improved employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, or increased productivity.
• Explaining how the team’s initiatives helped to develop or transform the organisation’s business and people strategies.
• Promoting continuous learning and professional development within the organisation, demonstrating how this has resulted in opportunities for advancement and greater job satisfaction.

Eligibility: This Award is open to HR teams working in the public and third sectors. It recognises the team’s achievements across multiple facets of HR that aligns with the organisation’s values and goals.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• The team’s work should have a significant, positive impact on the organisation. This could be measured in terms of improved processes, cost savings, or other key performance indicators.•
• Demonstrating exceptional teamwork, which includes effective communication, collaboration, and mutual respect among team members.
• Applying innovative approaches to address key business issues or multiple projects as part of the people strategy.
• Contributing to the overall success of the organisation, demonstrated by measurements such as improved employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, or increased productivity.
• Explaining how the team’s initiatives helped to develop or transform the organisation’s business and people strategies.
• Promoting continuous learning and professional development within the organisation, demonstrating how this has resulted in opportunities for advancement and greater job satisfaction.

Eligibility: Recognising organisations that have implemented impactful reward and recognition strategies that support employee engagement and wellbeing, reinforce organisational values, and contribute to a positive workplace culture. This Award celebrates initiatives that meaningfully acknowledge employee contributions, enhance motivation, and drive improvements in retention, performance, and overall employee experience.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• Clear reward and recognition strategies that align with organisational values, culture, and business strategy and priorities.
• Demonstrated impact of reward and recognition initiatives on employee engagement, wellbeing, morale, and performance.
• Innovative and inclusive approaches that ensure recognition is meaningful, accessible, and equitable across the workforce.
• Evidence of measurable outcomes such as improved retention, enhanced productivity, or strengthened organisational culture.
• Effective communication and implementation of reward and recognition programmes across the organisation.
• Initiatives that promote a culture of appreciation, encouraging senior leaders, managers, and colleagues to acknowledge contributions consistently and authentically through a variety of reward mechanisms.

Eligibility: Celebrating organisations that have implemented comprehensive programs and initiatives that prioritise and promote employee wellbeing (whether that be physical, financial, emotional or other) such as awareness campaigns and proactive support to address specific health needs.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• Having clear policies and practices in place and a culture that support wellbeing. In the case of mental health, this includes promoting work-life balance, encouraging open conversations about mental health, and reducing stigma around mental health issues.
• Providing training and education such as how to support colleagues with health issues.
• Encouraging employees to engage in healthy activities that are personally meaningful and increase employee engagement.
• Maintaining sustainable programmes that encourage and engage ongoing employee involvement.

Eligibility: Recognising organisations that excel in fostering a sense of purpose among their employees. This Award celebrates companies that not only articulate their mission and values but also translate them into meaningful work. The Award underscores the importance of employee satisfaction, productivity, and performance as key indicators of successful HR practices.

Judges will require evidence of the following:

• Having a clear, well-articulated purpose that goes beyond profit, and this purpose should be integrated into all aspects of the business.
• Innovating in approaches to addressing social or environmental issues and demonstrating a commitment to sustainability in its operations.
• Being transparent about its impact and holding itself accountable to stakeholders, such as including regular impact reporting and stakeholder engagement.
• Articulating how these practices have led to improved productivity levels and/or strong performance outcomes.
• Demonstrating how innovative people-practices have been implemented to promote and create a stronger sense of purpose.