City Lit Awards 2026 | How to nominate someone for this year’s awards

We’re delighted to announce that nominations for this year’s City Lit Awards are now open. You’re invited to nominate a student, tutor, a project, or an organisation, who has made a real and meaningful difference.

You might want to put someone forward if they have:

• inspired you through exceptional teaching
• achieved outstanding success or growth in their studies
• made a meaningful difference to the student experience
• strengthened our community through partnership or collaboration
• delivered a project or initiative that created positive change

Nominations close on Tuesday 30 June 2026.

Award winners will be announced at a ceremony at City Lit in November.
Further details will be shared closer to the time.

Award categories

1. Outstanding Learner Award

Do you know a student who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their learning at City Lit? Our students achieve great things – we are seeking nominations for exceptional candidates worthy of an Outstanding Learner Award.

Examples could include inspiring others during classes, realising a personal goal, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to learning, showing initiative to set up a business or community scheme, or someone who has used their course to dramatically change their career or circumstances.

2. Inspiring Tutor Award

This award recognises a City Lit tutor who has provided a high quality learning experience, demonstrated exceptional knowledge of their subject matter, provided a memorable experience, and helped students to reach their full potential during their online or in-person classes.

3. Staff Recognition Award

This award recognises a non-teaching member of staff for their contribution to the City Lit community, embodying the spirit of City Lit, and going the extra mile to help colleagues or students with their emotional wellbeing.

4. Wellbeing Award

We recognise how learning can be hugely significant in contributing to positive wellbeing. We’re looking for nominations for staff or students who have incorporated innovative wellbeing outcomes within their work at City Lit, course programmes, or designed courses specifically to contribute to positive wellbeing.

5. Project Award

This award recognises a group project at City Lit that has reached out to communities, enabled opportunities for online or in-person learning and personal development, or a project that has made a positive contribution to either our students or the wider London community. This category also includes group work by students.

6. Jeremy Swain Partner Awards

• Individual Partner Award
  Recognising an individual whose personal commitment, advocacy, or collaboration has made an outstanding contribution to City Lit students or the wider community. This award honours people who embody Jeremy Swain’s values of compassion, inclusion, and meaningful social impact.
• Organisational Partner Award
  Recognising an organisation, charity, institution, or employer whose partnership with City Lit has created significant opportunities, widened access, or delivered lasting positive impact. This award celebrates collaborative work that reflects Jeremy Swain’s dedication to social justice and community transformation.

7. Dame Esther Rantzen Senior Learner Award

Do you know a senior student who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their learning at City Lit? We are seeking nominations for exceptional candidates worthy of a Senior Learner Award. This award is named after Dame Esther Rantzen who has had a long career as a journalist, broadcaster, and relentless campaigner, and became a City Lit Fellow in 2021. This award recognises the value of continuing to learn and gain new skills into older age, it will demonstrate the contribution that many older people make to lifelong learning. Examples could include realising a personal goal, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to lifelong learning or someone who has transferred their skills across generations.  

8. Excellence in EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Award

This award recognises an individual, team, project, or initiative that has made a significant contribution to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the City Lit community. We are seeking nominations that demonstrate a commitment to creating a more inclusive learning environment or workplace, breaking down barriers to inclusion, celebrating diverse voices and experiences, or championing underrepresented groups or individuals at risk of marginalisation. This could include innovative teaching practice, support for students or colleagues, community outreach or partnership, inclusive curriculum design, raising awareness of barriers to inclusion and advocating for change, or impactful advocacy work that embodies the values of EDI at City Lit.