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Site updated:

11 February 2012

Nominations for the honours list

This information applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Who can be nominated for an honour

Nominations for the Honours List can be made by private individuals or by representatives of organisations. Anyone can nominate a person for an honour, provided that it is for service to the community and is not a self-nomination, although it is important to note that the number of nominations always exceeds the honours available in any year. You should also bear in mind that consideration of nominations for a particular Honours List begins many months before the list is actually published.

Each nomination is considered on its merits so, if you want to nominate someone for an honour, you should be sure that there are substantial objective reasons for doing so.

How to nominate someone for an honour

If you wish to nominate someone for an honour, you can obtain an Honours nomination form from:-

Honours and Appointments Secretariat
Ground Floor
Admiralty Arch
London
SW1A 2WH

Tel: 020 7276 2777
Fax: 020 7276 2766
Email: honours@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk (Queries only)
Website: www.honours.gov.uk

The form should be completed with the following details:

the person’s full name, address, date of birth (if known) or age; and
full details of service to the community, with dates, in the area for which the nomination is being made; and
a summary of the particular achievements/qualities which make them outstanding
the nominator’s name, address and relationship to the nominee.

At least two letters of support from other members of the community who have first hand knowledge of the nominee’s activities should be sent, either with the form or separately.

The completed form and letter of support should be sent to:-

for nominees resident in England, the Nominations Unit (see above for address)
for nominees resident in Wales or Scotland - see below
the government department to which that person’s work is directly relevant (this would include people who work for that government department or people whose service has made a particular contribution in the field for which that department is responsible).

The address to send nominations to for nominees resident in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland is:-

Scotland

Scottish Government
Honours Secretariat
3D Bridge
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Wales

The Honours Secretary
Welsh Assembly Government
Room ES-2
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Northern Ireland

Honours Secretariat
Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
Room E4.15
Castle Buildings
Belfast
BT4 3SR

What happens next

Once a nomination has been made, an acknowledgement will be sent. If the person who is being nominated for an award dies, the office which is dealing with the application should be informed as an award cannot be made in these circumstances.

If the nomination is successful, the person nominated will be contacted by the Nominations Unit (Honours Secretary or Honours Executive) some time in advance of the publication of the Honours List, to check that they are happy to accept it. The person is expected to keep this information in confidence until the list is actually published. The list is published twice a year, as follows:-

31 December - New Year Honours List
mid-June - Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Bravery awards

Bravery (or gallantry) awards are made to people who have risked their own lives to save or try to save someone else’s life. They are also used to recognise acts undertaken in the prevention of crime.

Usually people are nominated by an official body such as the police or fire service, but anyone can nominate someone for an award. More information can be obtained from the Nominations Unit (see under heading How to nominate someone for an honour).