Educate North Awards 2023

The North’s prestigious educational awards are back for 2023 and categories across the University, HE, FE and Sixth Form sectors are now open for entries. 

Educate North Awards launched in 2015 with the clear aim of celebrating the world-class success of the North’s education sector and to encourage excellence, achievement, and improvement across 23 special categories. 

2023 will see new categories emerge to encourage outstanding performance in the arts, in digital and in student experience and welfare/

The University Entrepreneurs Grant (UEG) will also return as 4 students or graduates with bright business ideas will once again compete on the night for a £1000 prize and the chance to study at The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Manchester. The 2020 UEG winner, Dr Mohammad Elhaj, has raised millions of pounds in investment since he walked away with the trophy, and it’s hoped another winner can replicate his superb success.

The Awards are promoted and sponsored by 4 of the most popular radio stations playing to millions of listeners across the North including Smooth North West, Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North East and Manchester’s XS, all part of the Communicorp UK group; The University of Manchester is Patron of the awards along with John Kennedy CBE. 

Beebot AI became sponsors in 2022 and will return in 2023 along with CCL Digital and other new sponsors which will be announced shortly. 

‘These awards focus attention on the best and most impressive achievements of staff, students and institutions across Northern England at a moment of immense change and pressure’ said Emeritus Professor Phil Harris, Chair of the Judges; ‘The standard of entries gets higher each year and the popular awards event ensures that we recognise the incredible work which so many people are doing despite the complexities of education in the UK currently’.

The Awards Dinner will take place on the evening of Thursday 27th April 2023 at The Midland Hotel in Manchester.

Entrants have till January 20th 2023 to submit their entries which will be judged by academics and business people from across the UK. Entries via www.educatenorth.co.uk 

There will also be 3 special awards nominated by listeners to Smooth, Heart and XS in the North.

Enter the awards now by visiting: https://educatenorth.co.uk/how-to-enter/

NORTH’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS EDUCATIONAL AWARDS RETURN FOR 2022

They are the most prestigious and highly competitive educational awards in the North of England and now they are back and open for entries for 2022.

The Educate North Awards will see the North’s University, Higher Education and Sixth Form sectors compete across a range of specialist categories for the honour of picking up a sought-after trophy and being celebrated by their peers and expert judges drawn from across the region and the UK.

The awards dinner will be live again and will feature special guests and music and will be staged at The Midland Hotel in Manchester on Thursday 7th April 2022.

The categories and entry details are now available on the Educate North website.

Edge Hill University in West Lancashire was named University of the Year at a special online presentation in April this year before being named ‘Modern University of the Year’ by The Sunday Times.

Other winners included The University of Bradford, Newcastle University, Preston’s College, University of Manchester and institutions in Leeds and Chester.

The special Radio Awards, chosen by the listeners of Smooth (North West), Smooth (North East) and Heart (Yorkshire) will also return and continue to acknowledge outstanding contributions during the covid crisis.

‘The Educate North Awards are exceptionally competitive and cover the entire region celebrating resilience, improvement, achievement and excellence’ said Emeritus Professor Phil Harris, the Head of Judges; ’Now with radio listeners to 3 of the top stations in the country participating the profile and excitement around the competition and event is intensifying and growing’.

In the coming weeks more details about the Radio Awards, the entrepreneur competitions and the special live guests will be announced.

Educate North Awards were founded by the broadcaster Rob McLoughlin OBE and are sponsored by The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Manchester, The Pilot Group, CCL Digital, IT Capital, Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West, Smooth North East, CommunicorpUK and John Kennedy CBE.

They are run in association with Why Events, Don’t Panics and have been supported by Prolific North 

Full details on the Educate North website.

Educate North Awards

To mark the sacrifices by the education sector, students, lecturers and academic staff during the Covid crisis, Educate North teamed up with listeners to three popular radio stations Smooth North West, Heart Yorkshire and Smooth North East.  

Listeners inundated the stations with nominations for outstanding individuals or organisations in 3 new categories. The results saw one teacher dance and jig in his classroom as he became a winner. 

Professor Tony Young, Head of Clinical Innovation for NHS England also announced 3 nominations for a special Health Award. This was won by The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine along with its partners at The University of Liverpool and NHS Hospitals Trust. 

Among the many other winners was Edge Hill in Ormskirk, Lancashire, which was awarded overall University of the Year in recognition of its continued commitment to deliver an exceptional student experience. 

The University was awarded the coveted top prize for the exceptional progress it has made to deliver investment and innovation over the past 12 months and its dedication to placing students at the heart of everything it does. 

The University of Cumbria’s Festival of Mental Health won the community engagement award.

The Festival is a celebration of wellbeing and offers help and support to all through its array of workshops including gardening, mindfulness, yoga and creative arts. There is also an art festival, talks, and a ‘marketplace’ of local charities, organisations and institutions.

Raising funds for local charities, the festival’s patron is Wigton-born author, broadcaster and peer Melvyn Bragg, who is an honorary fellow of the university and a past president of the national charity Mind.

Coinciding with World Mental Health Day every October, the Festival of Mental Health strengthens the University of Cumbria’s role as a leading training provider of nursing and other health professionals across the region and beyond.

Birkenhead Sixth Form College principal Mike Kilbride, pictured with college dog Teddy

The Principle of Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Mike Kilbride, was honoured with the national award for outstanding leadership. The ‘UK Leadership Award’ was given in recognition of significant achievements in leading Birkenhead Sixth Form College on a complete journey of transformation, not least being rated as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted.

The college has been shortlisted once again for the UK Sixth Form College of the Year by TES Awards, formerly the Times Education Supplement.

It won the award just three years ago and this year’s shortlisting cements their place as a national leader in Further Education.

Although the Educate North Awards ceremony was honouring 2020 winners, with last year’s celebration being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances of the last year and more have brought into stark light the qualities of leadership required to deal with young people’s education and the deficits that they have endured during various lockdowns.

Both staff and students at the College have benefitted from what they called Mr Kilbride’s ‘strong, passionate and thoughtful’ leadership, and his communication with all parties about the direction he was steering the College through the pandemic has been highly praised by parents, with one saying it was ‘first class’.

Accepting the UK Leadership Award, Mike Kilbride said: “It’s obviously personally very gratifying to be recognised for the work that you’ve done over many years, but you can’t have success as a leader without a fantastic team behind you.”

The Educate North Awards are organised by Carm Productions in conjunction with partners John Kennedy CBE, CCL Digital, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, The Pilot Group, Communicorp UK, Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East. The full ceremony can be viewed below.


2021 University Entrepreneurs Grant winners

The winner of the University Entrepreneurs Grant, as chosen by Dr Jacob Salder and Phil Hodari, was revealed on March 4th. The University Entrepreneurs Grant is part of the Educate North Awards, the regional awards ceremony for FE and HE institutions.

The finalists are the University of Chester’s Jade Rice, two entrants from Manchester – Dr Mohammad El Hajj and Riddi Varshitaa Viswanathan – plus the University of York’s Nihad Cehic.

The announcement was made via three northern radio stations – Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East -and an online video. The usual ceremony was moved online because of the current pandemic.

Rob McLoughlin, broadcaster and organiser of Educate North and the UEG, said: “The competitors have worked hard during lockdown to make their pitches and to try and grab the attention of the judges. Normally the contestants have to face the live audience at the fabulous awards ceremony but because of restrictions we’ve taken it online and the standard is high and the judging tense. The competitors are impressive and the scale of the ideas tremendous.”

For more details and the video announcement of the winner, visit the Prolific North page.

Radio Stations sign up to Educate North Awards

Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East have signed up to promote the Educate North Awards.

In partnership with Prolific North and Don’t Panic Events, the Educate North Awards were launched by Rob McLoughlin, celebrating and recognising best practice and excellence in the education sector in the North.

More details on Prolific North.