Writing a winning nomination for the Analysis in Government (AiG) Awards

This year’s Analysis in Government Awards celebrates those inspirational people and teams doing phenomenal work in every government department across the Analysis Function. 

Tips for writing a great nomination

Competition is fierce and we’d like to see as many great entries as possible, so we’ve put together these tips for writing an outstanding nomination: 

• Remember that the judges may not be familiar with your topic, so use Plain English by writing in short, clear sentences and using everyday words without acronyms and unnecessary jargon 

• Use the STAR method by explaining the Situation, Task, Action and Result of your work. 
• In particular judges want you to showcase the impact of the nominee’s work. 
• Be clear on the criteria and address each point of the award you are nominating for – you can find these on the nomination form. 
• Include any appropriate links to your work to demonstrate any outputs you may want to showcase 
• Keep within the word count of 1,000 words 

Read our Analysis in Government Awards 2022 article for more detail on each category and what would make a winning entry. 

 

The nomination form…

Before you complete the Analysis in Government Awards nomination form, we understand that you might want to put in some planning and prepare your statement. To help you along, here is a short guide on what you’ll need to provide: 

• Your name, job title, department, contact details and profession so that we can get in touch with you about your nomination 
• Title of the work being nominated, along with the name, department and list of contact details for those you are nominating 

• A brief description of the award you are nominating for (max 100 words) 
• Considering the award criteria, describe how the nominee achieves excellence in one of the six award categories. Please also supply any URL links to the work to support your entry (max 1,000 words) 

If you’d like to practice before you complete the online form you can download a Word version of the nomination form too. 

Any questions? Email the team at Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk  

 

Make sure your fantastic colleagues get the recognition they deserve 

Who do you think of when you consider the stand-out achievements of the last year? We all know people who have delivered above and beyond – those influential team players, enthusiastic and engaged colleagues who can always be relied upon to produce the highest calibre work when needed and now is the time to celebrate them.

How it feels to be nominated 

It’s easy to see why being nominated for an Analysis in Government award can instil a feeling of pride as Vincent Harold told us, speaking on behalf of the COVID-19 International trends team back in 2020: “It was great to be shortlisted for an award last year. It means a lot to receive that recognition from your peers, which is enhanced by the fact these awards exist exclusively for the analytical community. The calibre of the nominations – both within our category and across the board – was so high, it was a shock and a privilege to be listed alongside them.”  You can also read about previous winners and find inspiration in our article about the 2021 Analysis in Government Awards. 

The importance of saying Thank You 

These highly esteemed awards recognise the best of the best, giving individuals and teams exposure at the highest level and is the ultimate thank you for their contributions over the last year. 

Professor Sir Ian Diamond (Head of the Analysis Function and National Statistician) takes a close interest in the AiG Awards and will be giving an award in his name, the Professor Sir Ian Diamond Award for Excellence.