Most Successful Event
Excellent and successful events are the pinnacle of student engagement. They represent the outward sign of a healthy, vibrant, supportive campus life and a positive student experience. They provide students with opportunities to connect with each other and their student service organisations, try activities they may not have experienced before, or challenge their own comfort zones and get out there! Successful events are inclusive, fun, accessible, safe, sometimes educational, and always memorable!
The ever-changing environment of campus life requires SEN members to evolve and challenge the norms of their Event strategies to keep students connected and engaged and feel like they’re an integral part of their campus community.
This category awards excellence in Successful Events and is an opportunity for SEN members to showcase their adaptability at hosting on or off-campus, or online, events throughout 2022/23.
Examples can include but are not limited to: support and welfare events, on-campus or online competitions, varsity review seasons, quiz events, end-of-semester parties, sporting events, movie nights, showcase days, cultural markets, health and wellbeing events etc.
The Jury will be looking for entries that demonstrate excellence in the following criteria:
- Astute recognition of the need for the event amongst student cohorts and communities
- Good adaptability to changing campus environments
- Tangible and measurable goals and objectives
- Evidence of strong strategic planning
- Creative techniques used to deliver the desired outcomes of the event
- Effective use of resources (teams, funds, assets)
- Inclusivity, diversity, and environmental considerations
- The quality of the Event
- Student and campus community engagement and experience factors
- Evidence of success and positive impacts with measurable results
- Innovation, leadership, and recognition* (applies to top tier ‘Best of the Year’ submissions only)
Award Submission Criteria
Submissions need to address each of the following criteria:
- Name of organisation
- Organization logo
- Name and contact details of the person completing the submission
- Full-time student load (total student enrolments)
- Name of the Event
- Number of participants
This category of the SEN Awards has two levels of recognition – ‘Award of Distinction’ and ‘Best of the Year’.
For your submission to be considered for an ‘Award of Distinction’ you will be required to complete the first 3 sets of criteria PLUS provide supporting evidence.
For your submission to be considered for the ‘Best of the Year’ Award you will be required to complete all of the ‘Award of Distinction’ requirements, PLUS the additional Innovation and Leadership criteria.
Tell us the WHY of your event.
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- What was the reason for the event?
- What were you aiming for and why?
- What were the goals and objectives you were hoping to achieve?
Tell us the HOW of your event.
- What key strategies were identified and used to deliver on the goals and objectives of your event?
- What creative techniques and effective use of resources were applied, including the funds you used?
- Was there student input into the planning and executing of the event and if so in what capacity?
- Did you engage with any external partnerships and if so, what was their input?
- How did you ensure your event was inclusive, accessible, and responsible? You can reference details such as: diversity, inclusivity, accessibility/WGAC guidelines, use of environmental and sustainable materials/products/collateral, use of social/fair-trade/local suppliers as event partners, waste reduction factors, environmental packaging, sustainable event guides etc
EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS
- What was the outcome of your event?
- Which of your goals and objectives did you achieve?
- What were the overall engagement and experience outcomes of your event for students and the campus community?
- How have you determined the event’s success? What were the tangible and measurable positive impacts for your organisation and students?
- Financial overview
This section may be used to support your submission by providing evidence of your claims, it is not a substitute or an additional opportunity for answering the criteria in your submission.
The quality of your supporting documents will be measured against the rubric.
Relevant examples will include documentation that adds value and validation to your submission which could include links to:
- Before and after comparative data (quantitative & qualitative)
- Hero photos that capture the success of the Event
- Event website page or features
- Event social media platforms or campaigns
- Event video files
- Event PR or media
- Storyboards
- Financial documents
- Feedback forms
- Written articles
- Evidence of innovation, leadership, and formal recognition* (applies to top tier ‘Best of the Year’ submissions only).
You can collate supporting documents into a word doc to minimise the number of your uploads.
To progress your submission for consideration at the ‘Best of the Year’ level, you will be required to complete the following criteria.
- What was innovative about your Event?
- What stands out about this event from other Events you have offered?
- What did you incorporate in your event that has not been offered or done before?
- How was the event coordinated or promoted in a manner completely different from anything you have created before?
- How did this event provide meaningful and significant outcomes on your campus and within the sector?
- How has it positively influenced other organisations in the sector?
- How is the event replicable and are you offering support for its development at other organisations?
- Have you received official recognition for your event within your own organisation, within the sector, or broader industry fields?
Please ensure that you have uploaded adequate supporting documentation to support your claims including any reference to formal industry and/or organisation recognition.
Each category has a rubric that will be used as a scoring guide by the Awards Jury Panel against criteria responses in your submission.
Please note:
- Criteria Responses that are a direct copy and paste from previous criteria fields in the same category submission will be marked as Basic.
- Submissions that do not provide supporting evidence of the stated claims will be marked as Basic.
- In the event of multiple applications achieving equal scores, the award decision is at the discretion of the Awards Jury Panel.
- In order to be eligible to win ‘Best of the Year’, your application will need to achieve a score of at least 13 out of 15.
- Applications submitting for ‘Best of the Year’ that do not meet the higher score ranking required to win can also be considered for an ‘Award of Distinction’ at the judge’s discretion.
Category-specific rubrics will be available to download on the submission page of each category.
Click HERE to see an example.