Actors, musicians, sporting greats and senior business leaders naturally attract the most attention, and this can create the impression that honours such as an MBE, OBE or CBE are primarily reserved for celebrities or those with influential connections.
In reality, royal honours stretch much further.
Across the UK, royal honours recognise people from a diverse range of backgrounds, professions and communities. They celebrate volunteers, carers, teachers, entrepreneurs, activists, healthcare professionals, charity leaders, public servants and countless others whose work may not necessarily attract national attention.
What links these individuals isn’t fame or status. It’s the tangible difference they have made.
For many deserving people, however, one of the biggest barriers to recognition is the belief that they are simply not the ‘type’ of person who receives an honour.
But this misconception needs to be challenged.
Myth: You Need to be Famous or Well-Connected
Celebrity recipients inevitably receive the greatest media coverage when an Honours List is made public. Yet focusing only on those familiar names can obscure the enormous variety of people who are recognised.
Exceptional contributions are made by extraordinary ‘ordinary’ people every day.
It may be a community volunteer who has spent decades supporting vulnerable families. It could be a teacher whose work has transformed opportunities for disadvantaged young people, a healthcare professional who has improved services for a large number of patients, or a campaigner whose determination has changed attitudes, policies or access to support.
Some of the strongest contributions are, by their nature, relatively quiet.
The people making them may not have a large public profile. They may not consider themselves remarkable. In many cases, they may simply believe they are doing what needs to be done.
But public visibility and meaningful impact are not the same thing.
At Awards Intelligence, we regularly see people who underestimate just how significant somebody’s contribution has become because they are so familiar with it.
Awards Intelligence client Michael Tobin CBE went from living in a squat in South London to building a £3.4 billion data-centre business and receiving an OBE for services to the digital economy. Eleven years later, he was promoted to CBE for services to charity, including astonishing feats of endurance.
As Michael says,
“It is important to recognise hard work wherever it is found. People face pressure and challenges in different ways, whether they come from privilege or hardship. But recognition does not always fall evenly: achievement is more often noticed when people come from established or elite backgrounds, while those who start out in places like a squat in Stockwell are often overlooked. Honours can help level that imbalance, and that levelling effect is valuable in itself.”
His advice for other extraordinary people? “Step one, make a difference. Step two, do not be afraid to get it recognised.”
Royal Honours Should Reflect Modern Britain
If the British Honours System is to reflect our modern society, deserving nominations need to come from every part of society.
That means recognising achievement across different socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, regions, professions and communities.
It also means ensuring that exceptional contributions made by women, younger people, disabled people, those from minority communities and people from working-class backgrounds are not overlooked simply because they do not fit an outdated picture of what an honours recipient looks like.
For many years, discussions around honours have included questions of representation and access. Those conversations matter because recognition carries significance beyond the individual recipient.
Seeing somebody from a similar community or background receive national recognition can demonstrate that achievement, leadership and service are not limited to a particular social group.
It can also help challenge the idea that somebody must occupy a highly prominent position before their work becomes worthy of recognition.
A person doesn’t necessarily need to run a multinational company, hold a senior public office or command a large organisation.
What matters much more is the contribution they have made and the impact that contribution has had on other people.
And there’s another important point: deserving individuals can only be considered if somebody takes the initiative to nominate them.
A truly representative honours system therefore relies in part on people looking beyond the obvious candidates and recognising extraordinary contributions within their own communities, organisations and networks.
From Humble Beginnings to a CBE: Michael’s Story
Michael Tobin’s story is a powerful example of why somebody’s background should never be viewed as a barrier to national recognition.
Michael was born in the East End of London and had a very rough childhood. His mother escaped a violent marriage by fleeing to what is now Zimbabwe, but little did they know they were heading straight into a civil war. Later, entering back into the UK as refugees, Michael and his mother lived in a squat in Stockwell.
This is where Michael’s entrepreneurship began: finding old, abandoned bits and pieces that people had left behind pre-demolition in condemned houses. “Every now and again, we’d find an old upright piano; I’d tune it up, and we’d sell it in Old Kent Road Market for £20.”
Over the course of his career, Michael has built the digital infrastructure of Europe, and in 2014 he was recognised with the OBE for services to the digital economy.
Tobin has also dedicated his career to philanthropy and giving back to the community. Not only have Michael’s fundraising efforts included trekking to the South Pole, but he has also run 40 marathons in 40 days for the 40th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust (now the King’s Trust). In all, Michael has raised £5 million for charitable causes including Action from Children and widows in the developing world.
The impact of that work eventually led to Mike being appointed a CBE in 2025.
His story is important not simply because of the honour itself, but because of what it represents: royal recognition is not determined by where somebody started in life. A person’s school, postcode, family background or social connections do not define the value of their contribution.
Impact does.
Mike’s journey demonstrates that somebody from humble beginnings can go on to make a contribution of national significance and receive recognition at one of the highest levels.
“I was incredibly humbled to receive my CBE. My wife and kids were probably equally, if not more, proud because they had seen the pain of me doing the 40 marathons. They were so excited and happy for me.”
So, What Actually Makes Somebody Honours-Worthy?
If neither fame nor wealth are deciding factors, what makes somebody a compelling candidate for a royal honour?
Every nomination is individual, but several themes commonly underpin strong cases.
Sustained contribution
A significant contribution usually develops over time.
That doesn’t necessarily mean somebody must have devoted their entire working life to a specific cause or profession, but there does need to be clear evidence of sustained meaningful commitment rather than a single isolated achievement.
Longevity can also demonstrate that somebody’s contribution is deeply rooted and that their impact has continued. It’s this dedication to change or making a difference in society that helps you stand out from the crowd.
Going above and beyond
Simply performing a role well is not necessarily enough.
Strong honours cases often involve somebody who has consistently gone further than would ordinarily be expected of them.
That additional contribution may take many forms. It could mean giving substantial voluntary time alongside a demanding career, creating an initiative that solves a persistent problem, supporting others beyond the formal boundaries of a role, or using professional expertise for wider public benefit.
The key question is often: what did this individual do that was genuinely exceptional?
Demonstrable impact
Impact is central to a strong nomination.
Who has benefited from the individual’s contribution? How many people have been affected? What changed because of their actions?
Where possible, that difference should be tangible.
It might involve improving educational outcomes, creating jobs, raising substantial funds for a charity, expanding access to vital services, changing public policy, increasing representation or transforming the quality of life for a particular community.
Impact can be local, regional, national or international. What matters is that the difference made is clear and significant.
Leadership and influence
Leadership doesn’t always mean having the most senior job title in the company.
Some people lead through ideas, advocacy, example or their ability to bring others together.
They may transform professional standards, pioneer a new approach, inspire others to volunteer, build a movement around an important cause or create opportunities that previously didn’t exist.
In those cases, their influence may reach far beyond their own individual actions.
Myth: You Can Only Receive a Royal Honour When You Retire
Another common misconception is that a royal honour is something people receive only at the end of their career.
An honour shouldn’t be considered a retirement gift or lifetime achievement award. Recipients must still be actively involved in what you’re nominating them for.
Long story short, royal honours don’t discriminate when it comes to age. The system acknowledges – and celebrates – that outstanding contributions to society or incredible work can be achieved at any age.
In fact, waiting too long can sometimes mean exceptional achievements remain unrecognised for years simply because those around the individual assume the “right time” has not yet arrived.
The Misconceptions That Can Hold Nominations Back
After working with honours nominations for many years, our team at Awards Intelligence has encountered many reasons why people hesitate to put somebody forward.
Some assume the nominee is too ‘normal’. Others believe they are too young, not senior enough or won’t receive royal recognition because they aren’t famous.
Another common barrier is that people can become accustomed to somebody’s contribution.
When a person has spent years supporting a charity, mentoring young people, improving their community or driving change within an industry, those around them can begin to see this work as ‘nothing out of the ordinary’, because they see it day in, day out.
And it may absolutely be normal for that individual.
But that doesn’t make it ordinary.
Lesley Hussell, our Senior Consultant, explains,
“Some incredible Honours candidates are so used to thinking about what their team has achieved that they are uncomfortable talking about their individual, personal role. One client once told me, ‘There’s no “I” in TEAM.’ But when we drill down and put modesty to one side, we find outstanding evidence of the difference they have in fact made. In that case, the client went on to be awarded a CBE.”
One of the most useful ways to assess someone’s potential is therefore to look at their contribution from the outside.
Consider what would have happened without them.
Would fewer people have received support? Would an organisation, industry or community be in a different position? Have they created something that will continue to benefit people for years to come?
Those questions often reveal the true scale of a person’s impact.
Recognition is About Difference, Not Status
Royal honours will always attract attention when famous names appear on the list. But those recipients only tell part of the story.
Because, throughout Britain, people are creating extraordinary change without headlines, fame or social status.
Every day, they are supporting communities, transforming organisations, building businesses, advancing professions, caring for others, championing important causes and creating opportunities for the generations to come.
Their contribution may be visible to millions of people, or known only to the community they serve.
Either way, what matters is the difference they have made.
A person doesn’t need the right surname, the right background or the right connections to be worthy of recognition. Nor do they necessarily need to wait until the final chapter of their career.
Sometimes, the person who seems least likely to describe themselves as exceptional is exactly the person whose contribution deserves celebrating on a national stage.
If somebody you know has spent years going above and beyond for their community, profession, industry or wider society. They may be more honours-worthy than you realise.
At Awards Intelligence, we help individuals understand what makes a strong royal honours nomination and how compelling achievements and impact can be presented effectively.
Discover more about our services and book a free consultation with one of our awards experts by getting in touch with us today.