Form

Guidance notes: DCMS honours nomination form

Updated 29 August 2024

1. Who may make a nomination

Any person or persons may make a nomination by completing a nomination form and forwarding it to the DCMS Honours Team at the address given overleaf.

People in the following roles are typical of those considered by DCMS:

• Sport
• Creative industries (inc. fashion design, set design, costume design)
• The arts (inc. dance, sculpture, literature, theatre)
• Music (inc. classical and popular)
• Film
• Museums
• Galleries
• Tourism and hospitality
• Libraries
• Heritage
• Architecture
• Archaeology
• Conservation of buildings
• Broadcasting
• Radio
• Philanthropy related to the above areas

2. Completing the Nomination Form

Please complete the nomination form completely and accurately, following the instructions in each section closely. It is important that you provide as much information as possible about your nominee, and try to explain, in detail, what their actual contribution in an area has been, as opposed to just listing jobs or posts held.

You can use additional sheets of paper, but please make sure that you make clear which section you are completing. Please do not send in examples of the nominee’s work (e.g. videos, photographs, books) as nomination information is scanned into an electronic system and such evidence cannot be kept.

You may find it useful to refer to Cabinet Office’s guidance on writing citations, How to Write Citations.

3. Number and type of honours

Honours are given to people from all walks of life and all sections of society who have made a difference to their community.

The number of honours available is strictly limited and therefore, however valuable their service, unfortunately not everyone can receive recognition in this way. It is important to realise that an honour will not automatically follow a submission. The type and level of award need not be stated – these will be determined on receipt of the nomination form.

4. Timing of nominations

There are no deadlines for the receipt of nomination forms, but their consideration is likely to take at least 12 to 18 months. This is because of the background work needed to assess a nomination. Therefore, you should not nominate a person for a specific Honours List. Honours Lists are published at New Year and on the occasion of The Sovereign’s Birthday. Nominators will need to check published Lists (in the London Gazette or national newspapers) to see if their nominee is successful.

Nominations should be made while the nominee is still active and, if possible, at least 12 months before he/she is expected to retire or stand down, because of the timeframe involved.

5. Unsuccessful nominations and re-nominations

If, after two years, your nominee has not been successful you may assume the nomination has lapsed. You may re-nominate but a different outcome is unlikely unless your nominee has had additional achievements.

6. Confidentiality

All nominations for honours are treated in the strictest confidence. The nominee should not be informed, or get to find out, that they have been nominated, as it is not fair to raise expectations in case they are not met.

7. Support letters

Letters of support should be provided from people with first-hand knowledge of the nominee who can endorse their contribution or supply additional information. At least two letters of support are required to support a nomination

8. Acknowledgement and progress of nominations

Upon receipt of your nomination, we will send an acknowledgement. We regret that it is not possible to enter into correspondence on the merits of a particular nomination whilst it is under consideration.

9. Changes to information submitted

You may send additional information to support the nomination at any time, and we will ensure that this is considered with the existing papers. The DCMS Honours Team should also be advised if there has been any important change to the information supplied on the nomination form, such as the home address of the nominee.

You must notify the DCMS Honours Team immediately if your nominee dies, as it is not possible for a posthumous award to be made.

10. Non-UK citizens

People who are not UK citizens or citizens of Commonwealth countries of which The King is Head of State, are eligible to be considered for awards but the award may be an honorary one.

11. The King’s Award for Voluntary Service

Honours can only be given to individuals. If you wish to nominate a group, the KAVS recognises outstanding achievement by groups in the community. Further information and a nomination form can be obtained from the King’s Award for Voluntary Service website.

12. Ethnic monitoring

Please help us to assess the effectiveness of the system by filling in both parts of the form. One part is about you and the other is about the nominee. The information you give will help us to improve the coverage of the honours system by ensuring that all areas of society are aware of the honours nomination process and are nominated for honours. Monitoring helps us to identify gaps.  This information will be used only in aggregate for monitoring purposes. It will not be taken into account in the process of assessment of the candidate. There are no quotas in the honours system for particular groups.

Points to bear in mind

About the selection process

• Decisions as to who will be awarded honours are made by specialist independent advisory committees. There are 9 in total - the Sports Committee; the Economy Committee; the Arts & Media Committee; the Community, Voluntary & Local Services Committee; the Education Committee; the Health Committee; the Science & Technology Committee; the Parliamentary & Political Service Committee and the State Committee
• These committees are made up of members who are experts in their fields. They will compare candidates’ achievements against criteria and decide those which merit national recognition. Their assessments are then sent to the Main Committee (which is made up of the chairs of the advisory committees) who will review all the recommendations paying attention to the balance of the list.

About making a nomination

• When compiling information relating to your nomination, you will need to build a very detailed picture which explains what it is that makes your nominee stand out from others doing similar work. Some points to bear in mind:

  • Provide as much information as possible about your nominee
  • What has the nominee’s actual contribution been?
  • Why are the nominee’s achievements outstanding? Provide current examples
  • What activities outside the nominee’s field of work would support the nomination (i.e. charitable work)?
  • Long lists of appointments do not justify an honour on their own
  • A Curriculum Vitae is not enough on its own.  Nominations consisting solely of a CV will not be taken forward
  • Long service is not one of the criteria - it is what the individual has done to make a difference and how he or she stands out from the crowd
  • Nominations should be made while the nominee is still active and, if possible, at least 12 months before he/she is expected to retire or otherwise end their involvement with the activity for which they are being nominated
  • Ensure that you have the required letters of support. These should be from others who have first-hand knowledge of, and can endorse, the nominee’s contribution
  • Your completed nomination should to be able to ‘sell’ your nominee who will be up against other equally worthy candidates
  • Remember that competition is fierce
  • Most importantly, check your facts

• For further general information on the honours system, visit the Honours & Appointments website at https://www.gov.uk/honours

• If in doubt about any aspect of the nominating process seek advice from the Honours Team at DCMS:

Honours Secretary
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

email: honours@dcms.gov.uk