Nominating a Person Who Lives in the UK
The information required to nominate a candidate for an honour or award (if they live in United Kingdom) is:
- Name, age, address, and contact details of the nominee.
- Evidence of relevant work or volunteering the candidate did.
- The details of any awards or other recognition they received.
- Two (2) letters written by people who know the candidate on a personal basis to support the nomination (from first-hand experience).
You can make a nomination online, by postal methods, or by email. Having set up an account you will be able to save your nomination and return to it sometime later.
The digital service allows you to include evidence in recognition of the nominee’s achievements. Typical examples include letters, newspaper articles, and photographs.
Nominations Made by Post or Email
Use the honours nomination form to nominate a UK resident for a national honour by post or by email. Fill in the document and send it to the Honours and Appointments Secretariat. Their office will also answer any questions you have about the nomination process.
Honours and Appointments Secretariat
Cabinet Office
Room G39
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7276 2777
Fax: 020 7276 2777
Note: A different process applies when writing nominations for bravery awards (see below). The Cabinet Office provides further guidance on how to write citations to put someone forward for a UK national honour.
Nominating a Person Who Lives or Works Abroad
You can nominate a non-UK resident for an honour, even if they are living or working overseas. Candidates who are not British would receive an ‘honorary award’. To qualify, they should have made achievements in (either):
- Another country overseas of the United Kingdom
- The United Kingdom and there should be a significant international element to the achievement.
Use the FCO honours nomination form to nominate someone who lives or works abroad. Fill in the form and mail it to:
Royal, Ceremonial and Honours Unit
Protocol Directorate
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles St
London
SW1A 2AH
Email: [email protected]
Note: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) produces guidance notes to help you provide grounds for a nomination.
Recommending a Candidate for a Bravery Award
The UK honours system uses civilian gallantry awards to recognise the bravery of people who either saved or tried to save the life of another person. The committee judge all recommendations on:
- The degree of risk involved
- Persistence
- To what extent the nominee was aware of the danger
You can still recommend a person for a bravery award even after they have died. In this case, they would receive a posthumous award. The candidate would only need to hold British citizenship to get the George Cross award.
Three Levels of Bravery Awards:
- The George Cross
- A first-level civilian medal for bravery, acts of great heroism, and for courage in extreme danger.
- The George Medal
- A second-level civilian medal for bravery and for acts of great bravery.
- The Queen’s Gallantry Medal
- A third-level civilian medal for bravery and for inspiring acts of bravery.
Note: Write a letter (or an email) with as many details as possible about the individual and the event. Send it to the Honours and Appointments Secretariat to recommend someone for any of the bravery awards.
After Recommending Someone for a Bravery Award
The George Cross Committee assess all recommendations. The next step is forwarding the recommendation to HM The Queen, who would then award the honour to the recipient.