Here you will find all the answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding Society of the Year Awards.
Applications for Society of the Year Awards 2022 are now open.
What is Bright Network?
Bright Network is a free careers platform connecting students and recent graduates with the opportunities and advice to make the best career choices and progress as the workforce of tomorrow. We work with 700,000+ members and 300+ world-leading employers.
Who is eligible for Society of the Year Awards?
Any UK university society can apply and one member from the committee needs to submit the application form. However, you should get a range of the committee/members involved in your video submission. If you’re not part of the committee and would like your society to be involved, please forward the awards details to the committee for them to submit their application. To be considered for Society of the Year Awards, you need to meet all of the following criteria:
- Your president and committee needs to consist of current students at one or multiple universities
- You must have a central committee with a single set of objectives and goals
- You must be based primarily in the UK
- You must not be promoting anything that contradicts Bright Network's values and Code of Conduct.
Bright Network maintains the right to disqualify any entries that it deems to contradict any of these criteria. If in doubt, feel free to reach out on awards@brightnetwork.co.uk
How can my society apply?
We're looking for you to submit a short video (max. 2 minutes and in MP4 format) covering which award your society is applying for, what your society has achieved this year and why the award/the funding you receive will support your society moving forward. It doesn’t need to be of Hollywood movie quality, but do your best to show us how great you are. You can check out some of the submissions from last year's finalists just here for inspiration if you’re not sure what to create.
For the President of the Year Award, only one person from your society needs to submit a nomination for your president by submitting a short written application and an image. Alternatively, if you are the president of your society, you can nominate yourself.
How to make a stand out video?
Your video should cover which award your society is applying for, what your society has achieved this year and why the award/the funding you receive will support your society moving forward. Make sure to showcase how your society has had a wider impact on the student community through tangible results, for example, an uplift in membership, diversity and charity work or your members securing top graduate schemes. Why not make sure to get your whole committee involved in the video - perhaps compiling videos from each of your committee into one video, making use of footage from previous events you’ve run this year or even your virtual activities! The firms are super keen to see your teamwork and what makes your society unique.
How many awards can my society apply for?
You can apply for up to two awards and nominate your society’s president for the President of the Year Award as well. The more awards you nominate yourself for, the more likely you are to win! Please note - you will need to submit a separate application and video for each award you wish to nominate your society for. If you apply for two awards and are shortlisted for both, you'll be selected for the most-suitable category.
What does the Society of the Year Awards consist of?
There are 3 rounds involved in Society of the Year Awards:
- Initial application - where you’ll submit your application and video for the award(s) you wish to nominate your society for. These will be judged by the firms sponsoring each award and a shortlist of three finalists will be selected for the next round - the members’ vote.
- Members’ vote - our Bright Network members will be able to view the video submissions from each of the finalists and vote for the winning society of each award. During this time, the finalists will also be able to engage with the firms sponsoring each award.
- Awards ceremony - the ten winning societies will be invited to attend the award ceremony where they will not only receive their award but have a chance to present why they should win the overall award and a further £1,000. The overall winner will be chosen by vote of the sponsor firms.
When will the award ceremony be held and will it be in-person?
The award ceremony will be held in-person on Wednesday 25th January, 2023 at a venue in central London (so make sure to save the date!).
When is the initial application deadline?
You will need to submit your application and video before 11.59pm on Sunday 13th November (UK time).
We've gotten through to the voting round, how do members vote?
In order to vote, you'll need to be a full Bright Network member. If you're not a member yet, you can become one here. It's completely free and takes just a couple of minutes (you'll be prompted to verify your email address in order to complete the sign-up process). Each voter will be able to cast one vote in each award category for the society they want to win that award.
Please note, we will be checking the authenticity of all votes, and any inauthentic votes will be removed from the final count. Any societies found to be violating this - and their continued involvement in Society of the Year Awards - will also be reviewed.
What do you win?
For winning one of the ten society awards, you’ll receive £900 to support your plans to take your society to the next level. If crowned the overall winner you’ll also get a further £1,000 on top! But that’s not all - throughout the programme you will also have opportunities to network exclusively with the firms sponsoring the awards as well as raise the profile of your society amongst the student community.