Diana Award
What is the Diana Award?
The Diana Award gives recognition to outstanding young people aged 12-18 who make selfless contributions to their communities and invest a huge amount of energy and compassion to improve the lives of others.
Our Award is highly prestigious and is backed by the Memorial Committee that was founded to ensure that the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales is commemorated in a way that is of lasting benefit to our society. Diana's sons, the Princes William and Harry support the Award and are kept up to date with the latest developments and events.
Our Award Holders are exceptional people, who have become positive role models for a generation by challenging negative stereotypes of young people. We work hard to give something back to them through our Diana Alumni programme, which helps provide them with the skills and ambition to build the cohesive society in which we would all like to live.
We couldn't be prouder of our Award Holders, and we know they place high value on the recognition we give them. We hope they will inspire you to nominate the outstanding young individuals you know in your community, organisation or school.
Who is eligible for the Award?
The Diana Award is for young people aged 12-18 whose work is a positive force for change within their communities, schools or families. For a nomination to be successful, you will need to provide evidence that the young person in question has:
- Made an outstanding, sustained and selfless contribution to their community, over and above what would be expected of their peers
- Demonstrated exceptional personal qualities such as compassion and leadership, selflessness and courage, particularly by acting as a positive role model for others.
You will find examples of our Award Holders' inspirational stories in these pages but, as a rule of thumb, if you can demonstrate that a young person has gone beyond 'the extra mile' on behalf of other people, there's a strong chance they will be eligible for a Diana Award.
How many young people can I nominate?
Schools, colleges and other organisations that work with the 12-18 age group may either nominate between one and six individuals who meet one or more of the nomination criteria above or can nominate a single group of up to 30 young people who have taken part in the same qualifying activity.
If nominating a group, you will need to provide evidence that each member has contributed fully to the activity for which they have been nominated.
Please note that if you are nominating individuals for different activities you will need to complete one form per person
Why nominate?
A Diana Award has lasting benefits for both its recipient and society as a whole.
Young people are enormously proud when they receive recognition as prestigious as the Diana Award. It encourages them to develop into even more engaged citizens, gives them opportunities for personal development as young leaders and community entrepreneurs through our Diana Alumni programme, and acts as a major attraction for colleges and potential employees.
The Award offers a strong antidote to the negative image of how young people are so often portrayed. Diana Award Holders are role models for others, acting as a force of good and continuing to make a lasting difference to their communities. They are valuable citizens who have a vital role to play.
Helping to nurture an Award Holder is something an organisation should celebrate, thereby giving encouragement to young people who can make a difference to other people's lives. By doing this you help support the Government's objective to increase volunteering activity among young people, as well as the Youth Citizenship agenda. The Diana Award demonstrates that enjoyment and achievement, along with participation, are ingredients that are essential to young people's lives.
Who can nominate?
Anyone who knows an outstanding young person in a professional capacity, including teachers, youth workers, local authority officers, representatives of charities and employers, is eligible to nominate them.
Please note that all nominations must be fully endorsed by at least two other adults who also know the nominee in a professional capacity.
How many young people can I nominate?
You can nominate one young person for each individual Diana Award. There is, though, no limit to the number of young people you can nominate for an Award in any one year - as long as each one meets our Award criteria.
However, if you wish to nominate a group of young people who have been involved in the same activity, then please call our Nominations Information Line on 0845 337 2987 or email nominations@diana-award.org.uk to ask about our special 'Certificate of Excellence' programme.
How simple is the nomination process?
It is very simple.
Once you are happy that your nomination meets our criteria, then please fill in the nomination form and return it to us. We will also offer an online nomination system in the near future.
Be sure to provide evidence that the nominee has the exceptional personal qualities and achievements required by our nomination criteria, and feel free to include as much supporting documentation as you can - testimonials, photographs and relevant multimedia are all welcomed.
Do all nominees receive an Award?
No. If a nomination clearly does not meet our criteria, we will return it to you with an explanation that tells you why it has been rejected.
An impartial selection panel assesses nomination forms that do appear to meet our criteria. The membership of each panel varies, but members will typically include a representative from the Diana Award and at least one existing Award Holder, along with adults who may be teachers, our trustees, representatives of youth organisations, local authority officials, children's services officers or people with a similarly qualified background.
However, we do advise you not to tell any nominee that they have been put forward until we have confirmed they will receive an Award. We would also be grateful if you could note that nominations should never be made as an incentive or encouragement to improve or sustain a young person's behaviour.
What do Award Holders receive?
Award Holders receive a hand-written certificate, signed by Rt Hon. Gordon Brown MP, and an attractive silver lapel pin.
Award Holders automatically become members of our Alumni Programme. This gives them the opportunity to take part in a range of activities, including skills training, volunteering opportunities and networking and to forge links with local businesses via our sponsorship programme. Plans for the future include creating a secure section of the Diana website, exclusively for Alumni to share information, get to know each other and learn of forthcoming opportunities.
When is the nomination deadline?
The next nomination deadline is 21st May 2010.
When will I know if my nomination has been successful?
Assuming that your form has been filled in correctly, we will notify you of the outcome within two to three weeks of the closing deadline. We will also write to new Award-Holders to congratulate them and let them know more about how we can help, including through our Alumni programme.
