Nominator eligibility

The University of Liverpool accepts nominations from current members of staff, current students, and members of the University Council.

Eligibility criteria

Who do we consider?

  • Individuals who will inspire or interest the University’s students and other stakeholders
  • Those considered for honorary degrees could include: distinguished academics who are pre-eminent in their field; individuals who have achieved national or international eminence in public life or a particular field (for example in industry, commerce and business; the arts in all its forms; media; or sport); and individuals who have given a particular service to the University or made outstanding contributions in the city or region
  • Individuals who have a connection with the University or the wider Liverpool City Region.

Who don’t we consider?

  • Self-nominations 
  • You should not nominate someone with whom you have a close personal relationship. For example, a relative, partner or spouse
  • The University would not normally confer honorary degrees on serving UK politicians or current members of staff
  • Honorary degrees cannot be awarded posthumously.

The Council may, on the recommendation of the Joint Committee on honorary degrees and the Senate, revoke an honorary degree.

How to fill out the nomination form:

Below you can find guidance on how to complete each section of the honorary degrees nomination form. For the longer text-based answers, it may be helpful to draft your response in a Word document before pasting your response into the form. This will ensure you don’t lose any of your text.

The form is your opportunity to tell us as much as possible about the person you are nominating, their achievements and why you think they are exceptional and inspirational.

Who are you nominating?

You will be asked to provide some basic information about the person you are nominating, including their name, any professional titles (eg Professor/Dr), if they are known by any other name, and contact details so that if your nomination is successful, we can get in touch with them.

We also ask about whether the person you are nominating has any existing awards. For example, do they have an honorary degree from another University, qualifications, or perhaps an award or an honorary title awarded by the Head of State (eg a Damehood).

Your nomination

Question 6 – What is the reason for your nomination? Please use no more than 300 words

In no more than 300 words, we want to know why you are nominating this individual for an honorary degree. Please provide as much information as possible on why you are nominating this individual. You should also consider how they meet the eligibility criteria.

Use this space on the form to tell us about their achievements, successes and what makes them exceptional or inspirational. Have they undertaken pioneering research? Perhaps they made a huge impact on equality and diversity? Have they contributed to the arts or sports? Maybe they have improved the lives of people through community work?

This is your opportunity to introduce the nominee to the panel who will review the nomination forms.

Question 7 – What role do you believe the nominee will play for the University and how might the relationship be deepened in future years?

Our honorary graduates become an important part of our University network. For this question, consider how the nominee might work with, or become more involved with, the University in future years. For example, do they have a particular area of expertise that they could advise the University on? Could they strengthen our relationships with other organisations or initiatives?

If they already work with the University in a particular area, for example, a research project or a community initiative, you could list it in this section.

Question 8 – How will this nominee inspire our students and stakeholders?

Honorary graduates play a key role in our degree ceremonies, with students and their guests having the opportunity to hear from honorary graduates as part of our celebrations.

Once graduation ceremonies are over, our honorary graduates should continue to act as inspirational figures for our students and stakeholders at the University. For this question, we would like to know how you think that your nominee will inspire our students and stakeholders.

Question 9 – Does this person have any connections to the University of Liverpool or the Liverpool City Region? Please use the space below to list them.

This is an opportunity for you to tell us what connection the person you are nominating has to Liverpool. We’d like to know if they studied at the University, or worked here, but also if they have any form of other local connection. Perhaps they were born in Liverpool, lived here for a time, or worked on a project that benefitted the Liverpool City Region and its inhabitants.

Question 10 – Please select which University values that you think the nominee embodies

The University of Liverpool values are set out in our strategy, Liverpool 2031. The five values of the University reflect the character of our University and the things our people believe are most important to creating an environment in which individuals and the University as a whole can thrive.

For this question, we would like you to consider which of the values the person you are nominating embodies, and which of our values align with their work and achievements. You will be able to select multiple options for this question. To help you decide which values to choose from, please see below:

  • Ambitious: We dream and make big things happen. We have the confidence to make bold decisions to achieve success
  • Collaborative: Together, we achieve more. We make an impact through partnerships, releasing the power of collective expertise and shared endeavour
  • Inclusive: Shaped by diversity, powered by difference. We champion a culture in which all are valued and supported to thrive
  • Innovative: Original thinking with an independent spirit. We create, reimagine, and break new ground
  • Responsible: A focus on doing the right thing. We create positive change that improves lives.

Your details

As part of the form, we ask for your details so that we can inform you about the outcome of your nomination. We ask for your name and your email.

In addition, we ask you to provide details of your role at the University (whether you are a staff member, a current student, or a member of Council) so that we can confirm your eligibility to submit a nomination.

Submit a nomination

The nomination form can be accessed here.