How to write a winning Graduate Medal nomination
Recognise and celebrate your peers
Do you know a recent graduate or final year student that has demonstrated exceptional leadership or innovation in any aspect of their lives? Pay it forward and nominate them for a Graduate Medal.
Each year the Sydney Alumni Awards celebrate the professional and personal achievements of our alumni community through the nominations submitted by their peers, colleagues, friends and family.
The six Graduate Medal categories celebrate the achievements of our newest graduates for their contribution to leadership, research excellence, innovation, sporting achievement and contribution to Indigenous community.
If you know someone who is making a profound impact in any of these areas and inspiring the next generation of USYD students, nominating them for a Graduate Medal is a wonderful way to recognise their achievements.
If that someone is yourself, you can also share the opportunity with your friends and family to submit a nomination on your behalf – it may just open doors for your career.
Nominating someone is simple. Leave yourself enough time before the November 5 deadline and follow these top tips to stand out with the selection panel:
1. Do your research
Before you start your nomination, it’s important to do your research. Check our past recipients to ensure the person you want to nominate hasn't won before. Make sure you’re across the eligibility requirements and the different selection criteria for each award category to ensure you select the one that’s most suitable.
Plan how you will structure your responses and what evidence you will provide to illustrate your points. Revisiting the selection criteria while you’re drafting your responses will help you to stay focused. You can draft your responses directly into the nomination form to save and come back to.
2. Keep it clear and concise
For an award-winning nomination, you need to articulate the impact of your chosen nominee and provide evidence to support the nomination in a succinct and powerful way.
The selection panel will read many nominations, so it’s important that you summarise the key information (who, why and how) briefly and under sub-headings where relevant.
3. Remain evidence-based
Keep your responses professional and avoid using exaggerated language like ‘super star’ or 'amazing'. Rely on the evidence you can collect about your nominee to support your claims.
Evidence can be provided both in your responses and with supporting documentation. You must include reference letters in your submission, so ensure you also give enough time to gather this.
Nominations for the 2022 Alumni Awards close 5 November 2021.
Submit a nomination for someone you know personally or by reputation. They could be a well-known success story or a quiet behind-the-scenes achiever.