Honours
The Scottish Government’s Protocol and Honours team welcome nominations for a range of honours. Anyone can submit a nomination, including university staff, students and alumni. Nominations from under-represented groups are particularly welcome.
Past recipients of an award from the university community include Professor James N’Dow, made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the profession of urology, and Paul Mealor, Professor of Composition, who became a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.
Please note that self-nominations for honours are not permitted. If you are putting someone else forward, then they should not be made aware of the nomination, as the submission may no longer be accepted.
Timeframe and nomination form
Nominations can be submitted at any time. Further support and advice on national honours and the nomination process is available from the Scottish Government and can be found here.
To request an Honours pack, which contains a nomination form, a guidance note to help you complete the process, and a template for at least two mandatory letters of support, please contact: ScottishHonours@gov.scot
For general university related queries, Public Affairs may be contacted on: publicaffairs@abdn.ac.uk
What happens next?
UK honours are announced twice a year, with New Year Honours typically announced on January 1st and the King’s Birthday Honours usually announced in June.
The University does not have any control over the timescale for the award of an honour as the process is overseen by the UK Cabinet Office.
If staff have any queries about the nomination process, they should contact the Scottish Government’s Protocol and Honours team on: ScottishHonours@gov.scot
Find out more information on the nomination process for an individual to receive an honorary degree from the University of Aberdeen.
Awards
- Brave@Heart Awards and St Andrew’s Award
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Brave@Heart and the St Andrew’s Award were introduced in 2010 by the Scottish Government. Brave@Heart recognises bravery displayed by emergency service personnel or members of the public that have assisted them.
Each year, the Scottish Government invites nominations for the Brave@Heart Awards from the three main emergency services: Police, Fire and Ambulance as well as HM Coastguard, the RNLI, Mountain Rescue for Scotland, the Red Cross Scotland and the St Andrew’s First Aid.
Nominations, in the first instance are provided via Chief Constables, Chief Fire Officers, the Scottish Ambulance Chief Executive or a senior representative of the voluntary emergency services.
The St Andrew’s Award is for exceptional acts of bravery and is awarded by the First Minister of Scotland.
The recipients each year are chosen by an independent validation panel.
For further information, please contact: directorofsafercommunities@gov.scot.
- Nobel Prizes
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Among the many pioneers who have been associated with the University of Aberdeen are five Nobel Laureates.
Information on the Nobel Prize and the process for the nomination and selection of Nobel Prize laureates is available from the Nobel Prize.
- Royal Society of Edinburgh Medals
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Established in 1783, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland’s National Academy and is a leading institution for the advancement of learning and knowledge across a wide range of disciplines.
RSE Fellows can nominate individuals for prestigious RSE medals to recognise truly exceptional contributions and achievements to their field of expertise. The medals showcase the global significance of the work of those nominated and the depth and breadth of Scotland’s research community. Further information on these awards is available from the RSE.
- Scottish Public Service Awards
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Holyrood Communications in partnership with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government, runs the annual Scottish Public Service Awards.
Further information on how to nominate for the various award categories can be found here: Scottish Public Service Awards
- Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize (Edinburgh Mathematical Society)
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Awarded quadrennially to accomplished young mathematicians connected to Scotland.
- Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Awards
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The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh celebrates outstanding achievements and contributions in surgery and dentistry through several awards.
- Scottish Association for Metals Medals & Awards
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Awarded to individuals making significant contributions to the science and technology of metals.
- The British Academy
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Each year the British Academy awards a range of prizes and medals on the recommendation of specialist committees. Presentations are made each autumn and information on how to nominate can be found here.
- Royal Society of London Medals
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Each year Royal Medals are awarded for the most important contributions to the advancement of "Natural Knowledge” in the physical and biological sciences as well as for distinguished contributions in the applied sciences.
- Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education
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The Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education (formerly Queen’s Anniversary Prizes) are open to UK universities and colleges and recognise excellence, innovation, and proven benefit to both the institution and wider society, in any subject area. Round 17 will open in autumn 2026.
Information on how to enter can be found here.
- Green Gown Awards
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The Green Gown Awards were established in 2004 to showcase exceptional sustainability initiatives supported by universities and colleges across the world.
For further information, please contact publicaffairs@abdn.ac.uk