Recognising excellence
Welcome to the Excellence in Reward 2026 Awards
We want to recognise practical contributions that make a difference across
the sector.
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Your entry could be a project, service improvement, new idea, collaboration, piece of best practice, or an individual or team contribution. It can be large or small, completed or still developing.
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We’re looking for work that has improved something, tried a different approach, solved a problem, strengthened collaboration or generated useful learning.
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We have two awards up for grabs. One for a team/project, and one for an individual.
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Who can enter?
This is an award scheme for ECC members or clients. Anyone can nominate an individual, team, project, initiative or partnership, including yourself or your own team.
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What's the deadline?
5pm, Friday, 13 November, 2026
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What makes a strong entry?
You don’t need to meet a set list of criteria. Simply tell us:
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What did you do?
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What difference did it make?
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What did you learn?
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What could others take from your experience?​
Impact, innovation, collaboration, best practice and learning are all examples of what we might see in a strong entry, but you don’t need to demonstrate all of them.
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Keep it simple
The online entry form is designed to be quick and straightforward. No lengthy project reports required. We may invite shortlisted applicants to a short follow-up conversation.
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And if you win, you'll get:
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The coveted ECC Excellence in Reward 2026 trophy.
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Your very own 'winner' logo for your email signature.
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A dedicated webinar for you to showcase your work to ECC members, sharing what you did and what others can learn from it.
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And of course we'll shout about your success on our socials and website.
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University of Leeds for their "review of Pay Framework"
This was an ambitious project to modernise their pay framework, which had become less competitive within the sector and the wider local/national markets. The well-executed programme of work involved a wide range of stakeholders across the university, with engagement of key parties at all levels. The judging panel were very impressed by the clear evidence of positive impact. The team dealt effectively with all the challenges that came their way and implemented the project successfully. A worthy winner!
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The panel were struck by the innovative approach taken by the team in their journey of discovery. The project demonstrated new thinking and learning, with a focused and practical approach to problem solving. Also impressive were the commitment to finding new ways of working which could have benefit outside the university itself. The project clearly showed the benefits of cross-organisational working, with HR and AI specialists working closely with MSc Data Science and AI and BSc Computer Science students. The direct involvement of students in the design and implementation of the project AI tool was a fantastic opportunity for them to use their knowledge from their programme on this research project.
Leeds Trinity for their "investigation into the potential of Artificial Intelligence in supporting Job Evaluation"
University of Suffolk for 'Rewarding Suffolk'
This was an ambitious and far-reaching project with evidence of positive impact. The University took every opportuntiy to tie in non-monetary benefits in the review and implementation, and made an early commitment to designing a solution that would bring the greatest benefit to the most staff and potential staff. The work was resounding success as staff recognised that the 'Rewarding Suffolk' project had pro-actively resonded to employee voices from their previous staff survey but also gone above and beyond expectations.
This project clearly showed the benefits of cross-organisational working, with Union involvement throughout. The judging panel were very impressed with the clear evidence of impact of the project which aimed to deliver benefits to the greatest number of employees, and with the link to the University's long term strategy and with the committment to a fair solution for all.
University of Hull for 'Review of Pay Band Structures'
