Planning for the 2026 Civil Service Awards is now underway, and we're excited to be refreshing our award categories. To stay informed about programme updates, entry information, and important deadlines, please sign up for alerts here.
We will be in contact once nominations have opened.
Categories
Core Criteria:
These criteria are applied to every award category, in addition to the category specific criteria listed below:
- Civil Service Values: Does the nomination demonstrate the values and behaviours set out in the Civil Service Code — honesty, integrity, impartiality and objectivity?
- Above and beyond: Has the nominee gone above and beyond their normal responsibilities or expectations at their grade?
- Measurable: Does the nomination show tangible results — whether better outcomes for the public, improved efficiency, or reduced bureaucracy?
- Impact: Has the nominee made a positive difference beyond their immediate team or business area, whether across government, to the public, or internationally?
Collaboration Award
Recognising excellence in cross-government and external partnerships that improve efficiency and achieve more together than any single organisation could alone.
Eligibility:
Team award.
Must involve partnerships with two or more parties – whether within the Civil Service, across sectors, regions, or internationally.
Nominations should demonstrate:
A clear common goal with demonstrable benefits to the Civil Service and/or the British public.
How the partnership was built and sustained across boundaries, and what made the collaboration effective.
Shared outcomes and the measurable benefits delivered, including any cost savings and efficiencies with evidence.
Examples of knowledge, best practice or capability shared as a result of the collaboration.
- How working together enabled faster, better or more efficient delivery than would have been possible working in isolation.
- How the model could be replicated or scaled across government.
- Where applicable, how the partnership actively identified and removed friction, bureaucracy or structural barriers that had previously slowed down decision-making or joint working, and the difference that made to delivery.
Data, Evaluation and Analysis Award
Recognising outstanding use of data, evaluation and analytical methods to generate insight and drive better decisions.
Eligibility:
Open to individuals or teams across the Civil Service
Nominations should demonstrate:
Clear use of data, evidence or AI – whether in policy-making, programme design, service delivery or operational decision-making.
The question, problem or challenge the analysis set out to address.
Clear methodology and rigour, including innovative use of data, research or evaluation techniques.
How the analysis led directly to a better decision, policy or outcome – turning insight into action, with measurable results where possible.
Any cost savings or efficiencies achieved, with evidence.
- Potential for the approach or findings to improve how government works more broadly.
Developing and Supporting People Award
Recognising outstanding contributions to building Civil Service capability, championing inclusion, and creating a Civil Service where talented people can thrive and do their best work.
Eligibility:
- Open to individuals or teams across the Civil Service.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Excellence in developing people, building capability, or creating a more inclusive Civil Service.
Measurable improvements in performance, capability or skills – with evidence of outcomes.
A meaningful contribution to diversity, equity and inclusion, including evidence of removing barriers, shifting culture or improving representation.
How the work has strengthened the Civil Service as an employer of choice for people who want to make a difference.
A commitment to raising professional standards and investing in people as a route to better public services.
- How the work has contributed to a stronger sense of pride and belonging in the Civil Service — for example by helping people feel more valued, more connected to the purpose of their work, or more confident in their professional identity.
Innovator Award
Recognising creative, citizen-focused and innovative approaches to solving problems and improving public services.
Eligibility:
- Open to individuals or teams.
- Open to problem solving at any level, your own team, department, or an external-facing project.
Nominations should demonstrate:
- Must show an innovative, transformative or creative approach to problem-solving driven by curiosity and a genuine desire to find better ways of working.
The problem or challenge the innovation addressed, and why a new approach was needed.
How the solution was developed and implemented – this could include creative use of technology, data, digital tools, AI or science, but is not limited to these.
Where AI or emerging technology has been used, how it was applied responsibly and effectively to solve a genuine problem or transform a way of working.
How the solution was developed and implemented – this could include creative use of technology, data, digital tools, AI or science, but is not limited to these.
The measurable impact of the innovation, including any cost savings with evidence.
How the innovation improved the way work is done – making it faster, more effective, citizen-focused or better value for the public.
Potential for the approach to be adopted more widely across government.
- Where applicable, how the nominee has built the conditions for others to innovate – for example by creating frameworks, ways of working or cultures that enable teams to take calculated risks, learn quickly from what does not work, and apply those lessons to better outcomes.
Leadership Award
Recognising outstanding leadership at any level that has inspired others, driven results and made the Civil Service stronger.
Eligibility:
- Individual award.
Open to formal and informal leadership roles at any grade.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Must demonstrate leadership that goes beyond day-to-day management responsibilities.
How the leader has inspired and empowered others towards high performance, including creating environments where people feel safe to try new things, take considered risks and perform at their best.
How the leader has built a genuine sense of pride, belonging and professional identity within their team, fostering a culture where high performance is celebrated and people feel motivated to do their best work.
- Tangible outcomes delivered through their leadership for their team, their organisation or the public.
A commitment to high standards, continuous improvement and getting results.
Alignment with Civil Service values and behaviours, and the standards set out in the Civil Service Code.
- A lasting or systemic impact that extends beyond the immediate team.
Outstanding Community Service Award
Recognising civil servants who have made an outstanding voluntary contribution — helping to improve people’s lives and making a difference in their community.
Eligibility:
Open to individuals or teams across the Civil Service.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Exceptional voluntary or community work that has made a clear, positive difference to people’s lives.
Empathy and commitment to supporting people and communities, particularly those facing disadvantage.
Effective use of professional skills and knowledge to support charities or community groups.
Evidence of voluntary work informing or improving civil service delivery, for instance, through direct experience of the problems government is working to solve.
Project and Impact Award
Recognising exceptional achievement from a project or programme that has delivered meaningful, lasting, citizen-focused change.
Eligibility:
- Must be a specific project or programme, led by a team.
- Open to projects of any scale – from local initiatives to large cross-government programmes.
Nominations should demonstrate:
The scope and ambition of the project, and the challenge it set out to address.
How the project delivered against its objectives – with measurable outcomes for citizens, service users or audiences.
Effective project and stakeholder management that kept delivery on track.
How continuous improvement was embedded in ways that enabled the organisation and wider function to deliver better outcomes.
How the project achieved results efficiently, making good use of time, resources and public money – including any cost savings with evidence.
- Potential for the approach to be applied or scaled elsewhere.
Rising Star Award
Recognising high performance and exceptional potential in those at the early stages of their Civil Service career.
Eligibility:
Individual award
Open to those who have completed three or fewer cumulative years in the Civil Service.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Early and tangible impact – including fresh thinking, new approaches and contributions to positive change.
High performance, leadership potential and influence beyond their grade or role.
A drive to improve how things work and deliver better outcomes, even early in their career.
Commitment to Civil Service values and a strong foundation for a career in public service.
Sponsored by:
Cabinet Secretary's Award for Excellence
Recognising individuals or teams who epitomise high-impact, efficient delivery in the Civil Service.
Eligibility:
Open to individuals or teams across the Civil Service.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Exceptional performance with clear, evidenced results.
Direct contribution to delivering government priorities through efficient policy development, programme execution, or operational delivery carried out with rigour and pace.
Tangible benefits to the British public, service users, or the UK’s international standing, with evidence of reach, scale and impact.
Sustainable solutions or improvements with the potential to endure beyond the immediate initiative, raising standards for delivery across the Civil Service.
Evidence of driving execution and impact across departmental boundaries, supporting high performance and holding delivery to account in support of the Government’s agenda.
Championing new approaches, recognising excellence, and raising the bar for what good looks like across the Civil Service.
Work that has strengthened confidence in the Civil Service by improving how government operates internally, or by building public trust in the state’s capability and effectiveness.
A standard of excellence that others across the Civil Service could learn from and aspire to.
Prime Minister's Award for Exceptional Public Service
The pinnacle award recognising a high-performing civil servant who has made an extraordinary contribution to public service.
Eligibility:
Open to teams and Individuals.
- Open to all grades up to Grade 6 (below SCS1/Deputy Director) or equivalent.
Nominations should demonstrate:
Exceptional achievement beyond core responsibilities.
Exceptional public service that has made a tangible difference to people’s lives.
Clear alignment with government priorities.
Please note, nominees for this award are selected by judges from the pool of outstanding nominations received across all other categories. Individuals cannot be nominated directly for this award.
People’s Choice Award
New in 2025, the People’s Choice Award winner was determined by civil servants voting for their favourite finalist. It was introduced as a way to increase engagement and a sense of inclusion in the run up to the ceremony.
- There were 33 award finalists representing 15 organisations.
There were 5,100 votes from 96 organisations.
The data suggests that it is not only teams with nominees in the running who are voting, supporting the value of the award as a broader awareness tool.