How to write a winning Graduate Medal nomination

Each year the University of 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 University of Sydney 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.

Submitting a nomination is simple. Leave yourself enough time before the 19 March 2025 deadline and follow our top 3 tips to stand out with the selection panel.

Before you start your nomination, it’s important to do your research. The Awards recognise achievements great and small. Check our past recipients to get a sense of what makes a potential award winner (and double-check they haven’t won before). You can read stories from our 2024 winners for inspiration.

Make sure you’re across the eligibility requirements and the different selection criteria for each award category to ensure you select the most suitable one.

For an award-winning nomination, you need to articulate the impact of your chosen nominee 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. 

Plan how you’ll structure your responses and what evidence you'll provide to illustrate your points. Revisiting the selection criteria while you’re drafting your responses will help you stay focused. You can draft your responses directly into the nomination form to save and come back to.

Your nomination needs to include supporting documentation, including written statements from you about why you think your nominee deserves to win. Keep your responses professional and avoid using exaggerated language like ‘superstar’ or 'amazing' (even if they really are). Rely on the evidence you can collect about your nominee to support your claims.

Remember, you must include reference letters in your submission, so ensure you also give enough time to gather this. 

Nominations for the 2025 Alumni Awards close on 19 March 2025.

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.