Analysis in Government Awards: how to write a winning nomination

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

Make sure your fantastic colleagues get the recognition they deserve

Joint winner of the Collaboration Award in 2021 for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, Ruth Studley told us she is “thrilled to be involved in this year’s Analysis in Government awards. So much fantastic work occurs right across the analytical functions that has a phenomenal impact on society. I am extremely proud to be involved with a winning entry last year and I’d actively encourage colleagues from across government to nominate themselves and their teams. Please do get those awards submitted!”

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: “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.”

The ultimate 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.

Not only that, but all shortlisted entries will also be invited to a prestigious virtual awards ceremony where the award winners will be announced by high-profile speakers such as Sir Ian Diamond, Head of the Analysis Function and National Statistician, Jen Gold, Director of Research at the Economic and Social Research Council and Liz McKeown, Director of Public Policy Analysis at the Office for National Statistics. They will give an overview of each nomination and highlight feedback from judges.

What happens if I’m shortlisted?

All shortlisted nominations will have a short video made about them by the Analysis Function Awards Team and be celebrated on GOV.UK, our newsletter and social media. Those shortlisted will receive an exclusive Analysis Function digital gift bag, including social media banners and frames to share and celebrate your success on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, bespoke Teams backgrounds, email signature buttons and more.

So, what happens if I win?!

And it doesn’t end there. We want to celebrate the work of our winners throughout 2022.

  • You’ll receive a letter of thanks from Professor Sir Ian Diamond
  • Your team will win a fabulous Analysis in Government Award trophy
  • We’ll update your Shortlisted digital gift bag with a Winners pack, full of digital assets you can use to share and celebrate your success
  • We’ll feature a headline news article focusing on the winners in the first AF newsletter of 2022
  • You’ll be given a guaranteed opportunity to join us and be part of Analysis in Government month 2022
  • We’ll offer to make a short video about your Award-winning work that you can then use in your department or profession
  • You’ll receive an exclusive invitation to have your say on some of our highest profile work and determining the future of the AF.

We’ll also spotlight the work of winning entries in our Civil Service Live session next year.

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:
  • Use Plain English by writing in short, clear sentences and using everyday words without acronyms and unnecessary jargon. Remember that the judges may not be familiar with your topic area, so use simple language.
  • Use the STAR method by explaining the Situation, Task, Action and Result of your work. In particular, judges really 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. These can be found in 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.

Visit our Analysis in Government Awards 2021 article for more detail on each category and what would make a winning entry.

A preview of 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)

Any questions? Email the team at AF.Awards@ons.gov.uk.