Public Servants of the Year Awards 2004 - e-newsletter October 2003

Public Servants of the Year Awards 2003

Welcome to the e-newsletter for the Public Servants of the Year Awards. This monthly bulletin will provide you with updates on what is happening with the awards from promotion to judging the entries and the ceremony in May 2004.

Tony Blair Prime Minister Endorses the Public Servants Initiative

Prime Minister Tony Blair calls upon the public to nominate the ‘unsung heroes at the front line’ of public services as the search begins for entries for the Public Servants of the Year Awards 2004.

Click here to view the Prime Minister’s message.

Promoting the Awards

These prestigious awards, run by Public Finance magazine in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the Cabinet Office and the Office of Government Commerce, seek to recognise and reward excellence and outstanding achievement displayed by individuals and teams from Britain's 4 million public sector workers.

During September and early October more than 140,000 prospectuses were sent out across the public services. If you haven’t already received a copy click here to download it or email laura.kerr@cipfa.org to request one by post.

The awards categories

The 2004 awards have been developed from previous years so that groups of people who have excelled in public service are awarded in addition to individuals. The awards are arranged into two distinct categories: Individual Awards and Team Awards.

The Individual Awards aim to reflect the richness and diversity of our public services at all levels and in all organisations, from police officers to refuse collectors, from board members to nurses and from Chief Executives to clerks. The awards are looking for individuals who have achieved outstanding results in their own unique environment, overcome hurdles, inspired others and made a difference through their personality, commitment and ability.

The Team Awards seek the same level of excellence, but from teams working in specific sectors, which can demonstrate that by working together they have achieved a common goal. Click here for criteria.

The seven individual awards categories are:

Breaking New Ground – The Award for Innovation
Inspiring Success – The Award for Leadership
Raising the Standard – The Front-line Worker Award
Nothing is Impossible – The Turn-round Manager Award
Making a Difference to People – The Social Inclusion Award
Working Together – The Award for Progress through Partnership
On Board – The Award for a Non-Executive’s Contribution

All individual finalists are automatically considered for the Outstanding Public Servant of the Year Award, which will be presented to the person who is judged to be the best of all the entries in the individual categories.

The six Team Awards categories are collectively entitled The Common Good and will award exceptional teams in Central Government, Local Government, Housing, Education, Health and Uniformed Services. All team finalists will be eligible for the Outstanding Team of the Year Award, which will go to the group judged to be the best of all the entries in the team categories.

The deadline for entries is 30 November 2003 so click here NOW to enter or nominate someone online.

Finalists receive an invitation with to the awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London where two lucky winners will also be the recipients of an award for outstanding achievement in the public services.

Volunteers needed

We need to recruit additional scrutineers to mark the award entries. Are you a professional with public sector experience able to volunteer up to 9 hours of your free time for this activity? If so, we would love to hear from you. The scrutineering process takes place between mid December and mid January - so you may need to mark entries over the Christmas holidays. Scrutineering is rigorous but rewarding work which is often regarded as an enjoyable and challenging learning experience in itself. The work is unpaid, but you will receive an invitation to the ceremony in London on 10 May 2004 and expenses are covered. For more information, contact Laura Kerr on 020 7543 5872 or email her at laura.kerr@cipfa.org.

Interested in sponsoring an award?

Our awards sponsors are companies with close links to the public sector and all are pleased to publicly demonstrate their support by giving recognition to those among our public servants who have delivered exceptional service. A small number of awards are still available for sponsorship. To learn more about becoming a sponsor and the generous benefits package, call Peter Wright on 020 7543 5731 or email him at peter.wright@publicfinance.org.

Want to attend the Awards Ceremony in May 2004?

We are delighted that Dermot Murnaghan and Mary Nightingale will once again host the ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday 10 May 2004. Tickets are available to individuals and organisations who want to enjoy this glittering occasion. Companies wishing to entertain public sector clients will find this appropriate setting an ideal opportunity to cement relationships and enjoy a splendid black-tie event celebrating outstanding achievements. Discounts are available for CIPFA exhibitors and sponsors. For more information, contact Laura Kerr on 020 7543 5872 or email her at laura.kerr@cipfa.org.

Don’t forget the timetable:

Entry Deadline: 30 November 2003
Judging: February 2004
Finalists notified: March 2004
Awards ceremony: MONDAY 10 MAY 2004

Visit the Awards website: http://www.publicservants.org.uk

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