Nominate someone for an honour or award
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1. Overview
The honours system recognises people who have:
- made achievements in public life
- committed themselves to serving and helping Britain
They’ll usually have made life better for other people or be outstanding at what they do.
They must still be actively involved in what you’re nominating them for. The only honours which can be awarded after someone’s death are gallantry awards.
Whether someone gets an honour - and the honour they get - is decided by an honours committee. The committee’s recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the King, who awards the honour.
Nominating someone for an honour
Anyone can nominate someone for an honour.
How you apply depends on whether you want to:
After you nominate someone for an honour
You’ll get an acknowledgment - but you may not hear anything else for 12 to 18 months.
All nominees will be checked by various government departments to make sure they’re suitable for an honour. This may include checks by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The honours committee reviews those nominations that are sent to it.
What people get honours for
People get honours for achievements like:
- making a difference to their community or field of work
- enhancing Britain’s reputation
- long-term voluntary service
- innovation and entrepreneurship
- changing things, with an emphasis on achievement
- improving life for people less able to help themselves
- displaying moral courage
Honours are given to people involved in fields including:
- community, voluntary and local services
- arts and media
- health
- sport
- education
- science and technology
- business and the economy
- civil or political service
Group nominations
You can only nominate individuals for honours.
You can nominate a volunteer group for the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.
2. Nominate someone who lives and contributes in the UK
You can nominate someone for an honour online.
There’s a different process for gallantry awards.
You’ll need to write a detailed description explaining why you’re nominating them. Read the guidance on how to write a nomination.
You’ll also need:
- your nominee’s name, age, address and contact details
- details of relevant work or volunteering they’ve done
- details of any awards or other recognition they’ve received
- 2 supporting letters to back up your nomination - these should be from people who know the nominee personally
You can include any evidence you have of recognition your nominee has received for their achievements, for example articles, photos or letters.
You can save your nomination and come back to it later.
Make a nomination by email
Download and fill in the honours nomination form and email it to the Honours and Appointments Secretariat.
You can also ask the unit questions about the nomination process.
Honours and Appointments Secretariat
honours@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7276 2777
Fax: 020 7276 2766
Find out about call charges
3. Nominate someone who lives or contributes overseas
You can nominate someone for an honour if they:
- live overseas
- live in the UK but have made a contribution overseas
They’ll be given an ‘honorary award’ if they’re not:
- British
- a national of a country where the King is Head of State
There’s a different process for gallantry awards.
Download and fill in the nomination form and send it to the Honours Secretariat, part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
You can also ask the unit questions about the nomination process.
Honours Secretariat
Protocol Directorate
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
King Charles St
London
SW1A 2AH
Honours Secretariat
Honours.Secretariat@fcdo.gov.uk
4. Recommend someone for a gallantry award
Civilian gallantry awards recognise the bravery of people who’ve put themselves in danger to save (or attempt to save) someone’s life. Recommendations are judged on:
- degree of risk
- how aware the nominee was of the danger
- persistence
The incident must have taken place in the last 5 years. You can recommend someone after they’ve died – they’ll get a posthumous award. They do not have to be British (except for the George Cross award).
Types of gallantry awards
You can recommend someone for the:
- George Cross (a first-level civilian medal for bravery, for acts of great heroism and courage in extreme danger)
- George Medal (a second-level civilian medal for bravery, for acts of great bravery)
- Queen’s Gallantry Medal (a third-level civilian medal for bravery, for inspiring acts of bravery)
- Queen’s Commendation for Bravery/Bravery in the Air (a fourth-level civilian medal for bravery, for acts which involve risk to life)
How to recommend someone for a gallantry award
Email the Honours and Appointments Secretariat.
You’ll need to write a detailed description explaining why you’re recommending them. Include the person’s:
- name
- date of birth
- address
Give as many details as possible about what happened. This will make your application more likely to be considered. Include:
- location
- date
- any emergency or official services that were there
Honours and Appointments Secretariat
honours@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
After you recommend someone for a gallantry award
All recommendations will be assessed by the George Cross Committee, which makes recommendations to the King, who awards the honour.
5. Types of honours and awards
You cannot nominate someone for a specific honour - that’s decided by the honours committee.
There are also awards for bravery, called gallantry awards.
Companion of Honour
This is awarded for having a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.
Knight or Dame
This is awarded for having a major contribution in any activity, usually at national level. Other people working in the nominee’s area will see their contribution as inspirational and significant, requiring commitment over a long period of time.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
This is awarded for having a prominent but lesser role at national level, or a leading role at regional level. You can also get one for a distinguished, innovative contribution to any area.
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
This is awarded for having a major local role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
Awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community. This will have had a long-term, significant impact and stand out as an example to others.
British Empire Medal (BEM)
Awarded for a ‘hands-on’ service to the local community. This could be a long-term charitable or voluntary activity, or innovative work of a relatively short duration (3 to 4 years) that has made a significant difference.
Royal Victorian Order (RVO)
An award given by the King - usually to people who have helped him personally, like members of the Royal household staff or British ambassadors.
The orders
The committee decides which order someone should be a member of. You do not have to specify this in your nomination.
| Order | Who can be nominated |
|---|---|
| Order of the Bath | Senior civil servants and military officers |
| Order of St Michael and St George | Diplomats and people serving the UK abroad |
| Order of the British Empire | Anyone |
| Companion of Honour (award) | Anyone |
| Royal Victorian Order | People who have served the King or the Monarchy in a personal way |
Most awards are in the Order of the British Empire.
6. Honours lists
The lists of who’s received honours are published at New Year and on the King’s official birthday in June.
2024 New Year honours
Read a full listing of the 2024 New Year honours.
2023 King’s Birthday honours
Read a full listing of the 2023 King’s Birthday honours.
Previous honours lists
Read previous honours lists and reports on the honours system.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Honorary Awards
You can read a list of Honorary Awards approved by His Majesty the King during 2024.
Civilian gallantry awards
You can read the civilian gallantry list approved by Her Late Majesty the Queen in 2021.