Newcastle University Awards
The Newcastle University Awards recognise your achievements and contribution to university life and the wider community.
About
These awards acknowledge students involved in extra-curricular activities, including:
- clubs
- societies
- volunteering
- fundraising
- starting a new business
- representing students
- working on campus or beyond.
If you are a winner at any of the Celebrating Success Awards, you may be eligible to attend the Newcastle University Awards. You'll then be invited to a celebration dinner where awards are presented before an audience of students, university staff, graduate recruiters and city leaders. If you are an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught award winner, you will also receive formal recognition of your award on your degree transcript.
How to enter
Any current Newcastle University student can be nominated for the Celebrating Success Awards, either as an individual or as a member of a group.
If the activity you have been involved in was part of your degree, you must show how you have gone beyond the expectations and requirements of the activity.
Winners from the Celebrating Success Awards will be considered for the Newcastle University Awards, where they could potentially win any of the 'Outstanding Contribution' categories. Visit the Celebrating Success Awards website for more details.
If you aren’t sure how your activity might fit into the Celebrating Success Awards, please contact the Students' Union.
To be shortlisted for the Newcastle University Awards:
- you will have nominated yourself, or been nominated by someone else, for a Celebrating Success Award
- you will have won a category at a Celebrating Success Awards level as an individual, part of a group or society. This includes any Newcastle University campus, including our campuses in Malaysia and Singapore. Special arrangements will be made for students outside of Newcastle to celebrate their success locally. Alternatively, you will have been put forward from affiliated University awards.
- your contribution to the University or our wider community should be demonstrated
- your activities must have taken place during the last 12 months
- you must not have received academic credit for any part of this achievement. This includes those relating to work you have done on behalf of a business (excluding The Contribution to the Workplace Awards)
- students involved in the judging panel or organising the awards cannot be nominated for an individual award, but can be part of a wider team that is nominated
The decision of the judging panel is final and no feedback will be given on individual nominees.
Winning students, societies or projects cannot enter the same category of the following year.
In assessing nominations, judges will be looking for evidence of how the nominee has made Newcastle University particularly proud within one of the category areas. This will be through outstanding:
- innovation
- effort
- contribution
- skill development
- enterprise
- impact
For each 'Outstanding Contribution' award, the winning entry will receive £250 and the runner up will receive £50.
All Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught winners will also receive recognition of the award on their degree transcript.
For any society winners, prizes will go to the winning societies, not to the individual who completed the form.
Carson Wong
CSA Award Winnner for: Outstanding Contribution to NUTV (Student Media Awards)
Since returning to NUTV at the start of the academic year, Carson has never failed to bring professionalism, skill and precision to NUTV productions as part of their management team. This can be seen by the exceptional quality live streams he has produced not only for the NUSU elections, but also Fight Night and other events such as RAG week. He is so thorough and takes the time to teach skills to others, never being afraid of volunteering for new opportunities in NUTV’s development.
George Brownless
CSA Award Winner for: Outstanding Contribution to NSR (Student Media Awards)
George Brownless has been a friendly, welcoming face to Student Media at Newcastle University since the day he joined. Not only is he just a wonderful person, but he has provided countless noteworthy articles for The Courier, been a valuable crew member for NUTV, and was an exceptional Head of Tech for NSR this past year. Without his knowledge and dedication to the radio station, we wouldn’t be able to survive as long as we have, and he has taught countless contributors new skills in the studio while also having his own show on his greatest passion – Formula One.
Imogen Smillie
CSA Award Winner for: Outstanding Contribution to The Courier (Student Media Awards)
Imogen is an absolute asset to The Courier’s senior team. She never fails to chip in and help when needed, and has always been a friendly face in the office. Her kind temperament and willingness to help sub-editors within her role as Head of Culture at the newspaper is a testament to her nature. Her skills as both a writer and editor and how she works as part of the team are a shining example of make makes Student Media here at Newcastle University.
Sophie McMillan
CSA Award Winner for: The Monica Doughty Award (Student Media Awards)
Sophie has been involved in Student Media throughout her time at Newcastle University, winning Outstanding Contribution to NUTV in 2023 and continuing to put in heaps of work to all branches this academic year. Despite countless setbacks, Sophie always shows up and contributes fantastic, meaningful work to all three branches of Student Media, and is well known amongst our community for being incredible friendly and extremely talented, always willing to give 110%.
Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra
CSA Award Winner for: Best Society Event Award (Societies Awards)
Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra (NUJO) has showcased its commitment to arts, media, and culture through its outstanding contributions to the local music scene. The Cobalt jazz jam, held in collaboration with Durham University Jazz Orchestra, exemplifies NUJO's dedication to promoting jazz music and fostering community engagement.
Attracting over 250 attendees, including students and members of the public, the jazz jam at Cobalt Studios provided a platform for musicians to collaborate and showcase their talents in a vibrant and inclusive environment. NUJO's initiative to move the event to Cobalt Studios, a renowned non-profit music venue, not only expanded its reach but also supported the local music community.
NUJO's efforts to organize and deliver this event, highlight their dedication to promoting music and the cultural landscape of Newcastle University.
Natalia Ochodzka
CSA Award Winner for: Administrator of the Year (AU Sport Awards)
Natalia keeps the Volleyball Club together: supporting over 120 members of two performance teams, two development teams and social team members, and encouraging new people to join the Club. She puts time and effort into managing the Club's current needs and development opportunities. Besides being a very thorough treasurer, she organises all travel, charity events, deals with kit and equipment issues and tries to make the club as inclusive and open to everyone as possible by creating events on and off the court, including collaborations with other AU Clubs and the Give It A Go programme.
Dance Club
CSA Award Winner for: Club of the Year (AU Sport Awards)
Dance Club is one of the largest and most popular sports clubs at the university, with an amazing 421 members. They have 18 classes on every week, in 8 styles with 3 levels of difficulty, all whilst remaining completely student-led, which is rare amongst university dance clubs. They have 16 different competition teams who represent the club around the country and have seen immense competitive success, winning a record-breaking 35 trophies last competition season! They make a great contribution to the local community by supporting a local charity every year and were awarded the EYS Gold Award this year.
Borussia Modernlangbach
CSA Award Winner for: Fundraiser of the Year (Community Impact Awards)
The 7 a-side football team Borussia Modernlangbach completed a month-long running challenge to raise money for the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). During the month each and every team member swapped their boots for running shoes, culminating in a team run from West Jesmond Metro to Tynemouth Metro (14km) - with 13 of the team completing the run. In total they reached their goal of 542.5km and raised over £2000 for the charity.
Gabrielle Joyce
CSA Award Winner for: Individual Contribution to University Sport (AU Sport Awards)
With Dance Club having more members than ever before and the success of their competition teams, shows, workshops and fundraising events this year, Gabby has shown unbelievable commitment, devoting her time to two competition teams as well as chairing the club as a whole. She has choreographed multi-award-winning performances, with one dance winning 1st place and being the judges’ overall favourite of the day. She was able to achieve EYS Gold Award for the club, showing how much she does to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equality. Gabby can be found at all club events, making an effort to ensure all club members feel welcome.
Brush Up
CSA Award Winner for: Community Outreach Award (Community Impact Awards)
Brushup is a student-led volunteering group where dental students go out to the public to teach communities about the importance of brushing and good oral hygiene. Mainly their focus is on children, however this year especially they’ve gone above and beyond their usual scope and reached out to asylum seekers, mother & toddler groups and people with disabilities. They’ve done amazing work and educated over 1000 people. The project has given the student volunteers an invaluable opportunity to interact with different groups from society and gain practical experience with patients before they start their clinical years in the dental hospital.
Maxime Levasseur
CSA Award Winner for: Wellbeing Champion Award (Community Impact Awards)
Throughout the past year Maxime has demonstrated her commitment to improving wellbeing amongst her peers in a variety of different settings. She is the Charity & Welfare Officer of Dance Club, Creator and Lead of the sexual health project Check Us Out, President of Sexpression:Newcastle and has championed wellbeing through her role as a peer mentor.
AMSA Newcastle (NUMed)
CSA Award Winner for: Society of the Year (NUMed Awards)
AMSA has distinguished itself as the most consistent and proactive society this year, introducing a diverse array of impactful events aimed at engaging and benefiting fellow students. With the inception of new initiatives like HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living), My Body My Boundaries, and Rise and Rest events, AMSA has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to community outreach and well-being. Their new academic event, QUEST (Quality, Understanding & Exploration in Scientific Thinking): Intro to Research workshop added something else, and in addition to all their established community outreach such as the Oral Health Camp and Kechara Soup Kitchen, they’re a credit to the campus.
Sexpression: Newcastle
CSA Award Winner for: Best Specialty Society (Societies Awards)
Sexpression: Newcastle has excelled in providing advocacy and education in the realm of sexual health and positivity this year. In hosting the National Conference for Sexpression: UK, Sexpression: Newcastle demonstrated its commitment to advancing the conversation on sexual health on a national scale. Drawing attendees from across the country, the conference served as a platform to promote sex-positivity and better sexual health practices, extending the society's influence far beyond its immediate community. Sexpression: Newcastle's engagement in national campaigns such as "Best If You Test" shows its dedication to raising awareness and providing crucial information on STI testing. Furthermore, the society's commitment to training volunteers and equipping them with the necessary skills to engage with young people in schools exemplifies its dedication to grassroots education and outreach.
NutriTank
CSA Award Winner for: Trailblazer Award for Most Improved Society (Societies Awards)
The Nutritank Society has undergone a remarkable transformation, earning it the Trailblazer Society Award for its outstanding contributions and positive impact on students. From teaching budget-friendly cooking classes and collaborating with other societies to hosting social events like pottery painting and wellness activities such as pilates and beach walks, Nutritank has created a vibrant and inclusive community. Under the leadership of the committee, the society has seen significant growth in membership and event attendance compared to previous years. Their efforts have not only expanded the society's reach but also created a supportive environment, especially for nutrition and dietetics students.
What sets Nutritank apart is its innovative approach to event planning and execution. By offering a mix of social, academic, and health-focused events, they ensure that there is something for everyone. The regularity of their events, with approximately three events every month, has made it easier for students to participate and build connections.
Marrow Society
CSA Award Distinguished Runner Up for: Trailblazer Award for Most Improved Society (Societies Awards)
Marrow Society have worked hard to improve this year, having massively increased their membership, putting on lots of events to raise funds for Anthony Nolan Marrow Trust and placing Top 3 in the National rankings for Hero Week, recruiting over 150 individuals. They spread awareness for their cause by organising events such as Donor Recruitment Drives, fundraising and volunteering, as well as collaborating with other societies. Overall, the committee have worked hard to improve the society and make sure they consistently deliver events for members while working towards their cause.
Speech & Language Therapy Society
CSA Award Winner for: Best Academic Society (Societies Awards)
The Speech and language Therapy society have excelled at providing academic opportunities, raising awareness for various conditions, fundraising for charity, hosting social events, and providing support for its members throughout this Academic Year. Academic opportunities included SLT speed dating events with specialists, webinars on interview tips and job opportunities, study groups for VIVA examinations, practical skills sessions beneficial for future careers.
In addition, they organised Developmental Language Day, fundraised on dysphagia awareness days, with Mental Health Day bake sales and for charities such as Papyrus, lit up the Millennium Bridge to raise awareness for developmental language disorder. They also held inclusive and accessible socials, considering both sober and non-sober options, and provided welfare support through emails and practical skills sessions.
Megan Hardiman
CSA Award Winner for: Environment & Sustainability Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
Megan helped facilitate sustainable sanitary products in bathrooms in the Percy Building, aiding women on campus but being sustainable in the process. She also brought about the use of more economically friendly cups to be used in the Percy Cafe, which she also manages admirably. Additionally, she undertakes charity work outside of uni, inspired by her love of preserving the earth and making a better future.
Thrifty Chef
CSA Award Winner for: Sustainability Award (Community Impact Awards)
Thrifty Chef is a brand new student volunteer project aimed at reducing food waste and teaching essential cooking skills through simple and tasty box meals. Ingredients that are nearing their expiration date but are still safe to eat are sourced from grocery stores and food suppliers, and meal kits are designed to use these ingredients in creative and simple ways, with the service also offering tips on how to store and use ingredients to extend their shelf life. The goal of this service is to provide a more affordable and sustainable option for customers who are looking to reduce food waste and support environmentally friendly practices. Over the short time it has been running this year, the small student team have saved 1057kg of greenhouse gas emissions, since waste food is being saved and output from its production isn't going to waste.
Abbie Tunnicliffe & Emilia Smith
CSA Award Winner for: Intern of the Year (Workplace Awards)
Abbie and Emilia were employed as interns to measure the greenhouse gas emissions from two cows in the milking parlour at Newcastle University’s Nafferton Farm. After a few months the scale of the work increased, and the number of measurements increased from 2-50 cows. The hard work of Abbie and Emilia has accelerated the research and has enabled Newcastle University to write successful grant proposals based on the data they collected. Part of the funding includes salaries for more interns in the future, with Abbie and Emilia setting a high standard for them to meet.
Beker Khalid
CSA Award Winner for: Digital Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
Beker’s dedication to amplifying student voices, fostering inclusivity, and driving positive change on campus has been unparalleled. Through effective communication, innovative initiatives, and unwavering advocacy, he has significantly improved the student experience.
Maxime Levasseur
CSA Award Winner for: Changemaker the Year (Student Rep Awards)
In her role as President of Sexpression:Newcastle, Maxime organised, ran, and hosted the yearly National Conference for the charity Sexpression:UK. Her hard work resulted in an event hosting over 50 attendees from all over the UK, promoting sex-positive expression and education. She also planned and ran a fundraising bake sale and planned and hosted a fundraising Big Sexy Quiz (which was attended by 77 non-members!), both to help fund the conference – raising over £300.
Rowan Powell
CSA Award Winner for: Digital Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
Rowan is a true advocate for ensuring technology and arts and humanities can work in tandem. Rowan's work has made the student cohort feel more at ease when regarding the place of the digital world within programmes such as literature.
Cristina Guirola Carias De Newell
CSA Award Winner for: EDI Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
Cristina is an influential and integral part of the EDI committee, helping to raise money for charities focusing on world health, co-creating a medical terminology EDI handbook which has been included within the Faculty of Medical Sciences Athena Swan application.
Jonathan Lee
CSA Award Winner for: Liberation Officer of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
As the Ethnic Diversity Officer, Jonathan has been involved in several projects so far and has really gone above and beyond the part time voluntary nature of this role. This includes participating in committees, staff-focused meetings, working on the BAME Welcome Pack and supporting Festival of Culture events.
Zitong Zhan
CSA Award Winner for: PG Course Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
ZiTong has worked with staff in Arts in Cultures, including the PG Dean to improve the PG student experience. In particular, ZiTong has brough the concerns of international students to the attention of staff, improving understanding and ensuring the international PG voice is heard.
Minki Sung
CSA Award Winner for: PG School Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
As a PGR School Rep for Architecture, Planning, and Landscape, Minki has led initiatives to foster a sense of belonging among PGRs. This includes designing a survey to assess the PGR research environment, compiling a report, coordinating events, and developing strategies for enhancing the research community.
Poppy Bedford
CSA Award Winner for: Student Secretary of the Year (SSC) (Student Rep Awards)
As Secretary of the Music SSC, Poppy has helped bring together a thriving community through her enthusiasm and professionalism, ensuring minutes are swiftly written up and putting in hours outside of meetings to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and issues are resolved.
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences PGR SSC (Student Staff Committee)
CSA Award Winner for: SSC of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
The School of Natural and Environmental Sciences PGR SSC has been instrumental in achieving positive change in a number of ways already this year, including helping to define the process for the new Postgraduates who Teach policy. The SSC is a shining example of how positivity, planning and successful collaboration can drive transformation forward to improve things for everyone.
Laura Hickman
CSA Award Winner for: UG Course Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
Laura has been a proactive and enthusiastic contributor to the Psychology Student Staff Committee this year. She helped a module leader gain invaluable insights into student feedback and also created posts regarding academic tools for students such as MathsAid which were uploaded in the SSC Instagram page and Canvas module.
Evelyn Fong
CSA Award Winner for: UG School Rep of the Year (Student Rep Awards)
As UG School Rep for Arts and Cultures, Evelyn has demonstrated a sensitivity to student issues, dedication to raising these issues at a School. Faculty and University level, and a willingness to help other students. She has championed and achieved more out of hour access for facilities in cultural lab and Armstrong building, due to student-specific need, and also volunteers as a Peer Mentor alongside her School Rep work.
Amy Jeffers
CSA Award Winner for: Placement Student of the Year (large business)
(Workplace Awards)
Amy is an asset to the Cranswick Gourmet Kitchen team, going above and beyond to ensure every piece of work is delivered to a gold class standard. Due to Amy’s skill set and ability she was given the Pret account to manage solo. She has visited to Pret Head Office in London without management supervision to present proposed products, giving the customer full in-depth detail behind the development and operational processes, and the deal is now in the position of commercial sign off. Pret business will contribute 10 – 20% increase to site, adding £8 million of sales across the year, which Amy made a serious contribution to.
Ellie Short
CSA Award Winner for: Apprentice of the Year (Workplace Awards)
Ellie apprenticed in the Learning and Skills Department at FIRST, and was given the responsibility of supporting and developing a team of staff to ensure they provide high quality education to learners across the Northeast. She is committed and dedicated in her work to ensure that FIRST excels at the delivery of contracts and has been a driving lead in the company securing year-on-year growth of contracts for the past 2 years. Ellie takes on new challenges with enthusiasm and has developed her skills in event management, event hosting and stakeholder engagement.
Neha Ramchandani
CSA Award Winner for: Newcastle University Worker of the Year (Workplace Awards)
Three members of staff nominated this student for an exceptional performance over the past three years – demonstrating that this student is consistently motivated, proactive and enacts positive change. From 2021, this student supported a research project and went on to present findings to stakeholders at a local and national conference. As an employability ambassador, for two years, this student has excelled and shown exceptional levels of initiative and engagement, and in doing so has received fantastic feedback from staff, students and parents.
Nell Fabian-Kolpanowicz
CSA Award Winner for: Placement Student of the Year (small to medium sized business) (Workplace Awards)
Throughout their placement, Nell has added value through advice delivery; campaigning and by developing a more inclusive office environment. It is her Research and Campaigns Work, however, that made this nominee stand out. With a focus on housing issues, they recognised the impact of proposed amendments to the Renters Reform Bill, and contacted local MPs, preparing briefing papers with client cases to highlight where people had been unfairly evicted from their homes.
Islamic Society
CSA Award Winner for: Students for Students Award (Community Impact Awards)
Islamic Society has consistently provided valuable support to Muslim students year after year. One of their primary means of assistance is through organizing daily iftars (the meals to break fast) during Ramadan. This ensures that fasting students have access to a complimentary meal to break their fast, a service that has been a staple of the society’s offerings for several years, benefiting numerous students.
Jonathan Lee Rong Sheng
CSA Award Winner for: Inclusion and Accessibility Champion Award (Community Impact Awards)
This year, Jonathan has taken on the role of Ethnic Diversity Officer at NUSU, one of the voluntary Liberation Officer positions. They have been responsible for representing the interests of all ethnically diverse students at Newcastle University and have worked diligently to foster a more inclusive environment, increase representation and visibility and contribute to work which opposes prejudices and racism.
Indonesian Society
CSA Award Winner for: Best Representative Society Award (Societies Awards)
Indonesian Society has made significant strides in promoting Indonesian culture and fostering a sense of community on campus. From their captivating World Angklung Day booths to engaging social media content celebrating Indonesian calendar dates, their dedication shines through. Through vibrant events like the Discover Indonesia showcase and frequent collaborations with other societies, they've bridged cultural gaps and created opportunities for cultural exchange. Their inclusive approach and commitment to sharing Indonesian heritage have not only enriched the university experience for students but also fostered a sense of pride and identity among Indonesian Students.
Newcastle Muslim Medics x Islamic Society
CSA Award Winner for: Best Collaboration Award (Societies Awards)
The Newcastle Muslim Medics and Islamic societies came together to host a vigil for the people in Gaza after the events on October 7th. In this vigil, our Islamic faith societies came together to show their support for students going through a hard time dealing with the loss of friends and family. It had a turnout of almost 200 individuals and speakers from various faiths and backgrounds who showed their solidarity. Overall, students have found that this event was impactful for the community and important in advocating for those affected.
Palestine Society
CSA Award Distinguished Runner Up for: Best Representative Society (Societies Awards)
The Palestine Society, newly ratified this year, have been there to support students dealing with grief, loss and isolation in light of the events in Gaza. The committee have been doing their best to create a space for Palestinian students, show solidarity and representation. They have worked with other societies to plan vigils and demonstrations, using their voices on behalf of their community, and participated in NUSU’s Community Iftar for the Festival of Culture. Overall, they have shown outstanding resilience and passion when it comes to their society and community.
N.E.S.T Project Leads
CSA Award Winner for: Student Leadership Award (Community Impact Awards)
North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T) is a student-led volunteer project designed to educate, empower and integrate the forced migration community in the North East of England. We support roughly 700 refugees and asylum seekers each year with the help of our student volunteers. We deliver over 20 sessions each week where we teach English, play sports, promote arts and creativity, go on trips in the region and much more. None of this would be possible without the work of over 50 incredible student Project Leads.
Procrastiknitting
CSA Award Winner for: Cost of Living Champion Award (Community Impact Awards)
Procrastiknitting is a volunteering group where students come together to knit and crochet items for charity. Many students have picked up knitting or crochet for the first time through Procrastiknitting, and this has improved their wellbeing, both through the mindful actions and the socialisation during the sessions. The group’s main focus is on donation of made items, but many students have found the environment particularly beneficial for their wellbeing. The group has been praised for the way that it has created a low-pressure environment, which has been particularly comfortable for students who are neurodivergent and those who struggle in some of the larger societies.
Under One Sky
CSA Award Winner for: New Volunteer Project of the Year Award (Community Impact Awards)
Under One Sky Newcastle is a volunteer-run student initiative that aims to improve the lives of those affected by homelessness in Newcastle. Throughout their time at university, the group have become more aware of the issues of homelessness in the city and decided they could do something to support this community often overlooked by students, and the general population. They do this by running weekly walks where a group of three or four of our volunteers walk around central Newcastle with supplies, visiting the spots they know are most popular and aiming to support as many as they can.
AMSA Newcastle
CSA Award Winner for: Society Contribution to Community Award (NUMed Awards)
The society's commitment to holistic community welfare is exemplified through various initiatives. The Oral Health Camp, benefiting 100 students, not only imparted crucial dental hygiene knowledge but also provided essential supplies, promoting long-term oral health. This event also showed their professionalism by collaborating with the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Monthly visits to Berkat Children Home fostered relationships and provided invaluable mentorship and skill-building opportunities, positively impacting the lives of young residents. Similarly, AMSA's monthly soup kitchens, aiding 40 homeless individuals each time, alleviate immediate hunger while offering compassionate support and medical aid.
Fellwalking Society
CSA Award Winner for: Society of the Year (Societies Awards)
The society is welcoming of individuals from all backgrounds, ages, and levels of experience. The society's commitment to providing walks at different difficulty levels ensures that everyone can participate and enjoy the wonders of nature. Additionally, providing essential gear to newcomers reflects their dedication to fostering accessibility and inclusivity. Other than providing outdoor adventures, the society prioritises safety on walks, demonstrating careful planning and organization in every aspect of their activities. From coordinating transport and accommodation to planning routes and social events, the committee's efforts ensure memorable and enjoyable experiences for all members.
Maxime Levasseur
CSA Award Winner for: Best Individual Society Contribution Award (Societies Awards)
Maxime's impact on the Newcastle University community is nothing short of extraordinary. As President of Sexpression:Newcastle, Maxime orchestrated the successful National Conference for Sexpression: UK, a monumental event that brought together over 50 attendees from across the country. Through meticulous planning and execution, she facilitated workshops, panels, and engaging discussions, amplifying the conversation around sex-positivity and education. She is also Charity & Welfare Officer for the Dance Club, and her fundraising efforts, including a bake sale and a Big Sexy Quiz, exemplify her commitment to supporting the society's initiatives and ensuring their sustainability beyond her tenure. Maxime's contributions extend beyond these two groups, as she also played a pivotal role in the creation of the societies 'improving inclusivity' campaign.
Swift Society
CSA Award Winner for: The Activities Officer's Choice Award (Societies Awards)
As one of the largest societies with over 300 members, they have consistently delivered events their members love, as well as organized various collaborations with other societies. Their charity friendship bracelet crafting event had over 100 attendees, raising almost £250 for ‘Live Music Now’ and ‘Westgate Ark Cat Homing Centre’. The committee has worked with the Activities department to ensure all their events are planned in line with our policies and they have had zero negative issues despite having such a large membership. They are overall a fun, inclusive society loved by our students.
2023 Winners
Congratulations to all of our students and Alumni who were shortlisted for the awards in 2023.
As always, so many of our nominees have gone above and beyond, demonstrating huge commitment and passion for their extra-curricular activities, the university and the wider community. View this year’s winners below:
Winner: Katie Siddall
Getting involved across all three branches of NUSU student media, Katie has shown their dedication to student-led journalism this year. They started the year as Head of Sport for The Courier and Head of News for Newcastle Student Radio, introducing an ‘A-Z of Sport’ showcase of campus clubs and active societies. This has been a huge success, and with reems of engagement it has allowed The Courier to appeal to brand new groups of students. Katie has been the host of 3 podcasts covering a wide variety of current affairs topics that are at the heart of real student issues, including disabilities, the student housing crisis, and local LGBTQ+ spaces. They have reached out to members of these communities to get involved with these projects, giving a voice and on-air representation to marginalised students. Katie has also made a significant contribution to NUTV, through presenting the Elections Results Show and moderating a very tricky elections debate. They also volunteered their time to interview all candidates for the part-time Liberation Officer positions and edit the interviews (a brand new skill).
Runner-up: James Turner
James has completely revamped Newcastle Student Radio this year, making it easier to understand and more accessible to those who want to be involved. After the station was severely impacted by Covid-19, James has worked tirelessly to ensure that they are providing opportunities for all students. Through the creation of a podcast studio this year, James has expanded the means of which NSR is creating content, keeping the station modern.
Winner: AMSA Newcastle
AMSA Newcastle has put up a lot of great projects this academic year, especially in areas of community service and medical education. The club strives to bring awareness on public health matters through volunteering, while simultaneously providing opportunities for the students of NUMed to work with the public to gain healthcare experience. They run academic workshops such as Premed Workshop 2023 (where 80+ pre-university students experienced what medical school is like, including talks, panel discussions and most importantly skill sessions like CPR, auscultation and bandaging). They also organised volunteering opportunities for students like visits to orphanages and care homes, where volunteers spend time with the elderly and children, and monthly soup kitchens where students helped to distribute food in the city to roughly 30 people per visit. Additionally collaborated with the Ministry of Health to organise a one day event at a local primary school to raise awareness of dental hygiene. Not only have they promoted community service, but they also provided the student body with better work-life balance by holding various volunteering events related to medical education. The events held by them were very successful, gaining positive feedback from the student body.
Runner-up: Speech and Language Therapy Society
The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Society is for students on the Speech and Language Therapy Course at Newcastle University, including undergraduates and post-graduates. The society has held events throughout this academic year to support studying through socials, educational talks, and revision support sessions. The SLT society has brought in external SLTs to speak about different areas in the SLT field and answer questions from students. Through fundraising SLT society has raised £2,263.76 in total this year for five different local charities. The society has constantly been raising awareness about the different client groups that SLTs work with and the profession itself through taking part in national campaigns such as Developmental Language Disorder Day and Swallowing Awareness Day. The society was also involved in other national campaigns not just limited to SLT focused issues but also other areas of importance such as World Mental Health Day, University Mental Health Day and Race Equality Week.
Winner: Lauren Gilbert
As Disability Officer, Lauren has led on a large number of projects to improve the experiences of disabled students at Newcastle. These include appearing on panel discussions, passing motions at Student Council, and running a campaign during Invisible Disabilities Week to sign the Students’ Union up to the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard scheme.
Runner-up: Sexpression Newcastle
Sexpression Newcastle is the local branch of the wider nation charity, Sexpression UK. They focus on empowering young people to make informed decisions surrounding sex and relationships. Not only does the Newcastle society do incredible charity work by providing Relationship and Sexual Health Education in local schools delivered by their members but they have also hosted some amazing events, such as their Big Sexy Quiz which raised money and awareness for The Outsiders Trust. They are also the only society this year to be awarded the prestigious Gold Earn Your Stars Award for making societies more accessible, showing their dedication to increasing and prioritising inclusivity.
Winner: Jack White
Jack has been part of running club society for over 4 years, and in that time has taken on roles such as Kit Secretary, Events Officer and President. He has made a huge contribution to the society throughout his time at Newcastle University, graduating this year. The society currently has over 100 members and provides social events, as well as at least two runs a week for members. He has supported disabled students, as well as international and exchange students who are only here for a short period of time to ensure they can fully participate. This makes him a serious contributor to one of the biggest, most inclusive and accessible societies promoting health and fitness at the university, and his efforts are instrumental in making health happen for hundreds of students.
Runner-up: Maxime Levasseur
Working with the Students’ Union and the New Croft Sexual Health Centre, Maxime secured funding to set up a free subscription and delivery STI-testing service called ‘Check Us Out’. Maxime has found an innovative, low-maintenance solution to an issue affecting students and created a project with so much potential for the future.
Winner: Ladies Hockey Club
The Ladies Hockey Club have 7 teams playing both local weekend and weekly BUCS Wednesday student fixtures throughout the year. Success has been a regularity this year, with multiple league promotions and victories, most notably the Ladies 1st team who have been promoted to National League! The club have also held fundraisers for Movember and for the Pakistan Flood Crisis, showing their impact reaches beyond the Athletic Union.
Runner-up: Esme Court-Johnston
Esme has been a valued member of the Women’s Basketball Club throughout her time at university. She has played for both A and B teams, became team Captain, and finally President, so has taken on large amounts of organisation and responsibility within the club. Esme is a member of the Athletic Union Executive Committee on top of her club work so is involved in making positive change for all AU clubs, and additionally helps coach intramural basketball to strengthen the pathway into the Women’s Basketball Club for students to play competitively. The club has seen incredible growth and success over the last few years, both in performance and engagement, which could only have been done with committed, passionate student leaders such as Esme.
Winner: Cerys Bodey
Cerys has done so much work to improve student wellbeing, dedicating hundreds of volunteer hours across several student-focused projects and initiatives. As the ‘public face’ and a Coordinator of Nightline, Cerys spends countless hours to keep the service running smoothly, ranging from training volunteers and ensuring their wellbeing to promoting the service to the wider student body through Go Volunteer, so those who need it can find it. She transitioned the project out of Covid-times and into a post-Covid set up, participated in nationwide Nightline events, and ran sessions for the university’s Mental Health Day. Nightline is an essential service for university students and without Cerys, it wouldn't be able to function as successfully as it does. Cerys is also a School Rep for SELLL, and Secretary of the Student Staff Committee, organising student showcases and ensuring representation at student council and beyond for her cohort.
Runner-up: Modern Languages Society
Modern Languages Society is one of Newcastle’s largest societies, open to all those studying a Modern Languages degree as well as international students or anyone interested in learning about different cultures. The Society have shown a commitment to supporting their members through their Welfare Wednesdays, as well as by providing academic support through their language conversation socials (often collaborating with other societies) and cultural evenings, giving their members opportunities to practice their speaking skills. On top of that they have also hosted an incredible Winter Ball, with a Summer one to follow, run a netball and football team, provide pastoral support through their Welfare Officer, as well as organised an amazing trip to Amsterdam.
Winner: George Wood
George has been praised by his course mates for his approachability and dedication to raising their concerns with staff and seeking solutions to issues. In particular, third year students have expressed their gratitude for George’s efforts in gathering detailed feedback about their concerns around examination and taking this to the Degree Programme and Director and Chair of the Board of Examiners.
Runner-up: Srishti Jain
Srishti has been phenomenal at her job this year and has proven to be a transparent and extremely accessible point of contact for the students at NUMed. Throughout the year, she has eased dialogue between the staff and students and made it easier for students to voice their opinions to a level no other rep had managed before. She has made an impact to the lives of students by addressing concerns regarding support for mental health and safe transport from accommodation to placements as well as to campus.
Winner: Alexandra Neill
Alex has done fantastic work to raise awareness of the issue of food waste within the School of Natural Environmental Sciences (SNES) on campus. She initiated and organised SpudFest, an event showcasing the research of SNES colleagues on campus that also served to raise awareness of the issue of food waste. The event saw the distribution of over three tonnes of surplus potatoes from NU Farms in the process. She has also co-ordinated the distribution of the remainder of the NU Farms surplus potatoes to Newcastle and Wansbeck food banks.
Runner-up: Elle Young
Elle has demonstrated a clear passion for inspiring young people to become Climate Changemakers as part of her role in KATS (Kids Action Thru Science) here at Newcastle University. She has been an integral part of the project from the outset and has helped it to develop each year through her dedication and hard work. She is driven, enthusiastic and has made a huge impact on the project, both locally and globally, which will leave a lasting impact beyond her own involvement.
Winner: Alex Moore
Alex’s contribution has exceeded the initial objectives of the placement. His work has stretched to all corners of the Natural History Society of Northumbria encompassing areas of communications, engagement, youth work, citizen science and project planning. He has provided vital insight as a young person towards strategic planning and audience development sessions – these have yielded some fantastic ideas for development. This is NHSN’s first full-time student placement and because of Alex, they plan to offer similar opportunities on a reoccurring basis going forward, enabling future students a valuable placement option.
Runner-up: Ellie Iveson
Ellie excelled as a placement student at Egger; she volunteered at the successful careers open day and the company’s Christmas event and then rose to the bigger challenge of managing all required tasks when the online marketing manager resigned midway through. Her impressive ability to remain calm and collected whilst implementing a new CMS system for the whole company was recognised by her managers, along with her stamina and resilience when needing to deliver within limited timescales. Ellie then trained the new manager, building a formidable partnership which has been highly valued by the organisation. The consistent high quality of Ellie’s work has been recognised by all colleagues and inspired them to nominate her for this award.
Winner: Phil Beahon
Featured in the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 list, 2014 Law graduate Phil Beahon and his brother Tom founded the global premium sportwear brand Castore in 2015.
The company has experienced stratospheric growth since it launched with support from the University’s business accelerator programme START UP Founderships. In addition to a growing online and high street presence - including two stores in Newcastle - Castore partners with world-class athletes, sports teams and brands including Andy Murray, Newcastle United FC, England Cricket, McLaren, Rangers FC, Oracle Red Bull Racing and Reiss (to name a few). Castore has four distribution centres globally including a new 150,000 sq. ft automated distribution centre in the North West, which features advanced technology to boost the brand’s continued growth and has generated 150 new jobs. Sold in more than 50 countries, the company employs over 700 people in the UK and Europe. With a passion for innovation to support every individual to optimise their athletic performance, Castore’s philosophy is “Better Never Stops” and both co-founders are the embodiment of that; driving rapid expansion in a fiercely competitive market. It is their uncompromising vision that has established Castore as a leading British sportswear brand and both founders as influential voices. In under 7 years they have achieved scale on a level that is nothing short of remarkable and with major investors onside and 8 championship-winning ambassadors including Andy Murray (tennis) they’re only just getting started.