Widely known as the “Oscars of higher education”, this year marks the 17th annual THE Awards, with 20 categories in total, covering a wide range of university activity.
Once the nomination window opened, an incredible flurry of nominations flew in, making it clear for all to see just how appreciated library teams are to their institutions.
The awards this year focus primarily on activity during the 2019-20 academic year, and therefore include a large number of submissions based on the outstanding initial response to the unique and wide-ranging challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout the pandemic, praises were sung for unsung heroes, but overlooked by many was the hard work and dedication of librarians in higher education settings.
When the pandemic forced campuses to close, there was an incredible amount of pressure placed upon librarians for the continuity of courses.
Institutions were relying on their resilience and ability to source texts essential to allow for lecturers to teach, and for students to learn.
Inspirational stories abound, and this is undoubtedly a significant factor in the THE Awards breaking all previous entry records – nearly 600 institutions, teams or individuals were nominated in total.
Without further ado, we are pleased to announce the shortlisted finalists who really stood out to the judging panel are:
To read their submissions, click on the institution individually.
Editor of Times Higher Education, John Gill said:
“This is the 17th year that the THE Awards will recognise the best of the best in UK higher education, across 20 categories covering all aspects of university activity. But this year’s awards will reflect a period of turmoil and innovation necessitated by the pandemic, making it quite unlike any previous year.
For the first time this year, we have also extended our awards to include higher education institutions in Ireland, and we are delighted to say that we have had a record number of entries, reflecting the brilliance of universities across the whole of the UK and Ireland. With almost 600 institutions, teams and individuals nominated, it really is a fantastic achievement to make it onto this year’s shortlist.
We look forward to celebrating the incredible response of university staff in exceptionally tough circumstances when we gather for the Oscars of higher education in November.”
Congratulations to all shortlisted nominees, we are so proud that your work has been recognised. We are truly looking forward to meeting you, and finding out which team will win on November 25th.
If tweeting about your shortlisting, please use the hashtag #THEAwards.
