Celebrating Researchers 2025 

Nominations are open for Celebrating Researchers 2025 – a University-wide event celebrating research staff, recognising their incredible achievements and acknowledging their irreplaceable contributions to the University of Liverpool. 

The deadline for nominations is Friday 3rd October 2025, submit your nomination(s) here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/liverpool/celebrating-researchers-2025  

Building on the success of 2023 and 2024, you can nominate researchers for one of the University of Liverpool’s two Champion prizes: 

• Research Staff Community Champion – For researchers who have helped to foster and build communities of researchers within the University of Liverpool. Examples might include organising research networks or forums; mentoring PGRs or other postdocs; gaining resources for research staff activities that develop research identity, broader leadership skills or a greater understanding of the wider research system.     

• Research Culture Champion – For researchers who have contributed to the research culture at the University of Liverpool. Examples might include participation in steering groups related to research integrity, and equality, diversity and inclusion (e.g. Athena Swan, Race Equality Charter); contribution to inclusive environment and wellbeing initiatives; organisation of departmental development activities. 

Researchers can also be nominated without specifying a category to recognise and celebrate the wide variety of accomplishments and contributions that research staff make. 

The winners of the Research Staff Champion Prizes will be awarded their prizes by Professor Georgina Endfield, APVC for the Research Environment and Postgraduate Research, at the Research Staff Conference on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. 

Who can be nominated? 

Research staff who are on research-only contracts. This includes but is not limited to postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, research assistants and research technicians. Please email Researcher@liverpool.ac.uk if you are unsure about eligibility. 

Who can make a nomination? 

Anyone! We invite nominations from principal investigators, postgraduate researchers (PGRs), managers of researchers, professional services staff and peers. Self-nominations by postdoctoral researchers and early career research fellows are also accepted.   

How do I make a nomination? 

In line with the Academy’s aspirations for optimal inclusivity and accessibility, nominations can be written or verbal. There are no limits on the number of nominations you can make. 

• Written nominations should be a maximum of 200 words. For examples of written nominations, please look at the Celebrating Researchers 2024 nominations. 

• Video nominations should be no more than 1 minute long and uploaded to Vimeo. Guidance on how to submit a video can be found here: Guidance for Submitting Video Nominations for Celebrating Researchers

In your nomination please make it clear what the nominee has done and how it has positively affected you and/or others. For the Champions prizes, judges will consider who has benefitted from the nominees’ actions and how much of an effect those actions have had. 

Submit your nomination via this form: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/liverpool/celebrating-researchers-2025  

Deadline for nominations is Friday 3rd October 2025.