The Event Award Longlist NSVAs 2022
Recognising a brilliant event organised by a society or volunteering team. This event doesn’t have to be large-scale with a huge budget. We are just as interested in the smaller scale but the event has to make a difference to attendees. The winning event will show real innovation and a fantastic experience for attendees.
Aberystwyth Aerial Fitness & AberMarrowHow has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?They held a winter showcase of aerial hoop and pole fitness performances to raise money for charity. The group worked with another uni society (AberMarrow) to help them gain stem cell donors too, in the evening 12 people signed up to be a stem cell donor which is more than the society ever had in the past! The evening was held to raise money for the Survivors Trust, Anthony Nolan and Sepsis UK. All of these charities affected a member on a personal level and the charities had helped them in the past. Overall we raised £1,150 for the 3 charities through ticket sales and a raffle!
What is special about this nominee?They should win this award as the club had completely new members to the sport so in 2 months they managed to put together some stunning routines with no previous aerial experience. I've been so proud of their bravery to bring something new to Aberystwyth. There hasn't been a local showcase like this before and not one for charity so to have raised so much by doing something new was amazing! We are holding another one on the 8th of June too and hope to raise even more this time!
Artificial Intelligence - Climate HackHow has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?Climate Hack.AI is an intercontinental, intercollegiate datathon between 25 of the world’s best universities, including Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge. The competition was focused on allowing members of the university communities to make real, tangible carbon savings and to themselves, make a real difference in the ongoing fight against climate change. Working with a company contracted by the National Grid, to optimise and reduce carbon emissions, the competition used real data to create machine learning-based models with direct benefits.
What is special about this nominee?One of the biggest events in student activities I have ever seen. The UCL AI Society worked tirelessly to raise a staggering £115,000 to fund this competition and worked for almost a year to make it happen.They provided a unique opportunity to those involved to have their work contributing to a solution of a global crisis, uniting the best student minds in AI from across the globe.
The competition amassed 1250 submissions, aggregated 131,000 website views, and culminated in a national final attended not just by the 50+ qualifying finalists, but by hundreds of the AI interested community.
Big Bummit
Bummit is Sheffield SU’S flagship charity-hitchhike event organised annually by a committee of 13 students. On Big Bummit, 110 students hitchhike to a European destination in 7 days all to raise money for charities chosen by students.
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?Bummit select charities to support based on community needs and global context. This year’s chosen charities were Sunflower of Peace (Ukrainian welfare), Food Cycle Sheffield (combatting food waste), Children’s Sleep Charity (supporting children with sleep issues and their families), Manor Community Transport (reducing social isolation through transport provision) and Mines Advisory Group. Having set a target of raising £18.7k for their charities, Big Bummit has smashed this target and has raised £26,000 to date despite significant challenges.
What is special about this nominee?Experienced international student hitchhikers usually lead Bummit, but due to a combination of the pandemic and Brexit, this was the first year Big Bummit had run since 2019. Although only two of this year’s committee had previous experience of hitchhiking, the team rallied together making creative and considered plans on risk, safety, student experience and fundraising impact to make sure Big Bummit returned with a bang! Friends, family and supporters track student progress across Europe, reading their comments and stories along the way
Cultural Ball
The first Cultural Ball Event at King's College London; a celebration of the diverse culture and community at King's. An event delivered in partnership with a number of student groups in both shaping and performing at the event on 8 March 2022
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?An opportunity for nearly 700 King's students to meet, socialise and interact with people from different cultures; student jazz society on arrival; student group performance showcase; photobooths; canapes; DJ and dancefloor. This was an effective collaboration between Students' Union staff, student groups and elected officers to deliver an impactful event that squarely helps to create a sense of belonging at King's. Overall satisfaction 4.4/5; 95.6% agreed it was a fun and memorable event; 82% strongly agreed it was a celebration of culture and made them feel part of an accepting community.
What is special about this nominee?I feel this event deserves national recognition due to its collaborative nature. Its success was driven by all stakeholders across the project team, particularly the 10 plus student groups involved in shaping and performing at the event. The project team navigated a number of challenges including an upsurge in Covid-19 cases resulting in rescheduling the date. 74% of attendees surveyed met someone new at the event with feedback on how the event effectively showcased the global experience and cultural diversity at King's. 94% of project team understood link between event and our strategic aims
LGBTQ+ Student Work Fair“LGBTQ+ Student Work Fair”. The LGBTQ+ Student Work Fair was past of the series of events for LGBT History Month led by Student Union President, Harriet Moore, and LGBTQ+ Representative and LGBTQ+ Society Lead, Fraizer.
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?Plymouth College of Art Students’ Union hosted an interdisciplinary student work fair, in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Society, as part of LGBT History Month. Students from courses across the college were invited to sell their wares, in an event to help support queer artists and encourage students to support peers LGBTQ+ community. Staff, students and members of the public were invited to attend the event and purchase items to support the queer artists who hosted stalls, whilst encouraging queer artists to put themselves out there.
What is special about this nominee?As well as having a huge positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community, this will now likely become a more regular event due to its popularity and the wealth of positive feedback from both those who attended and those who sold their work. Whilst there have been previous Student Work Fair events, these have not been themed, so it has an exciting opportunity to develop into a series to support various groups of students, e.g. Mature, Disabled, LGBTQ+, Ethnic Minorities, etc.
Loughborough’s Got Talent
'Loughborough’s Got Talent' launched in 2018 as a fundraiser for Barts Cancer Institute, who were treating a student volunteer’s mum for cancer. A variety show, it celebrates the best of student talent. This year LGT returned, after COVID, in memory of Patricia, who lost her battle with cancer.
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?LGT gives students the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills, individually or as a group, in the name of charity and to win the ‘Patricia McLeod Memorial Trophy’. Every penny raised from ticket sales, a raffle, and donations goes to charity. Every one of the 3 years it has run, more than £1000 has been raised. This year saw 8 variety acts perform, in front of an audience of 150, with over £1,100 raised for Barts Cancer Institute. The evening is also used as an opportunity to raise awareness of cancer prevention, featuring testimonies from students who have lost loved ones to cancer.
What is special about this nominee?Loughborough’s Got Talent is the brainchild of a former student volunteer and is organised by the Welfare & Diversity Committee at the SU. Being early in the year, it provides the committee with an opportunity to bond over a collaborative project and help them develop skills in event management and fundraising. It involves managing multiple stakeholders including internal venue staff, external security, sponsors, and a national charity. Sponsors of LGT include YouTube, and it represents the epitome of SU life, bringing communities together to fundraise, whilst being entirely led by students.
Purple Goes Blind Dating by Purple Radio
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?‘Purple Goes Blind Dating’ was Purple Radio’s Valentine’s Special, a week of broadcaster and podcaster collaboration shows between 14th-20th February. These creatives were from diverse shows who would not normally collaborate and may not have otherwise met. Not only did these 14 collaboration shows exceed expectations, listenership increased tri-fold with exposure to the show or podcast’s own fanbase, their blind date’s fanbase and Purple’s promotional platforms, resulting in the most consistent listener statistics for any week in January and the start of February.
What is special about this nominee?After a year of broadcasting-from-home, the event helped draw in 29 broadcasters and podcasters; ‘will they be compatible, will they be matches made in heaven or have the Purple dating gurus got it all wrong?!’. With the goal of expanding listenership in mind, show and podcast duos and trios were formed and their unlikely dynamics produced some fantastic content. Our blind daters were introduced to a different side of Purple and many have since been inspired to increase listenership by inviting more guests onto shows to embrace diverse voices, groups and audiences.
SVB Tea Party
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?The Tea Party project have organised 3 tea parties in the University for over 60's to attend. Due to Covid-19 many of our local community have been isolated and lonely and this has been vital to combat this. Volunteers pick the guests up from their houses and then bring them to the University for afternoon tea, entertainment, crafts and of course, everyone's favorite, bingo. The kids projects have also made cards for the guests and it is a highlight in everyone's calendars.. The Welsh Language student choir, Aelwyd JMJ also perform alongside local student bands and artists.
What is special about this nominee?After the tea party we always get the guests asking when the next tea party is and the event has expanded this year, with more guests. From the tea party is has created a community between the volunteers and students and therefore, we have also taken the guests on trips to local places, e.g. Beaumaris to the pier for cake. For many of the guests they have not been to these places since before Covid and they really do enjoy the trips out. Like the tea party, the guests are picked up from their houses so transport is not an issue.
Trashion Show
Alena Chetwynd and the Fashion Forward Society - Alena is part of the Bristol Hub Committee (Bristol Hub is a local branch of a national charity, Student Hubs, which aims to build students social action journeys and connect them with social and environmental challenges whilst they do their degrees).
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?Alena volunteers as the Climate Action Bristol coordinator and felt that more awareness around sustainability in different fields was a large part of her role. She approached the Fashion Forward Society to run an event in which Bristol Hub would receive donations of recycled clothes and electronics which the society would then turn into fashionable items to be worn in their Trashion Show. Over the course of three months, Alena and the Society had over 80 attendees to the event, raising £570 for Bristol Hub's projects as well as sharing fast fashion knowledge with their student peers.
What is special about this nominee?Alena went above and beyond in her Climate Action Bristol role, not only supporting the project itself but by providing innovative ways to help build a platform for conversations around sustainability. The Trashion show has not only raised awareness of Bristol Hub's sustainability projects, but also provided students with a space to engage in conversations around their own fashion habits and how we can better our practices to be more sustainable in the future. Her drive and passion has led the Fashion Forward Society and Bristol Hub to have a relationship that will now continue into next year!
UniBrass
"UniBrass 2021 & 2022 (Sheffield)" - the National University Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. They were student led and organised events that took place on 26th June 2021 (outdoors) and the 6th February 2022 (across 2 venues) at the University of Sheffield
How has the person, event, group or initiative impactful?
Both events had many university brass bands from across the UK participate – 2021 had 9 and 2022 had 21 bands. 2021 had 222 players and 175 in the audience and took place COVID-safely outdoors. 2022 had 756 players, 400 in the audience and was across 2 venues. Both were livestreamed worldwide with 2000 and 4000 views respectively. The 2022 event also included free outdoor performances, an innovative cross-genre Gala Concert with multiple artists (>500 audience), and a social (408 attendees) in 3 venues including a live band, karaoke and board games. There was even a custom UniBrass beer!
What is special about this nominee?
Work on these events started in 2019, when Sheffield won the bid to host UniBrass for both years. Despite the challenges, the 2021 event successfully took place outside in June 2021 (postponed from February) and made history as the first brass band contest post-pandemic, and the first hybrid contest. In February 2022, it was the event originally planned (just add LFTs)! The team collaborated with the SU Events team and UniBrass Foundation to deliver these events – 2021 made history, and 2022 was huge, with at least 1100 attendees! Both events beat the financial forecasts and made good profits.