In order to nominate someone for a knighthood/damehood, you must complete an official nomination form and submit it to the Honours Secretariat. This nomination should set out in great detail why your nominee is worthy of an honour, detailing their acheivements and the impact they have had within their sector, or within wider society. In addition to the nomination, you must also provide at least 2 letters of support – although we recommend between 5 and 15 letters depending on the scope of your nominee's achievements.
Anyone can nominate someone for an honour, and there is no cost to do so. But submitting an honours nomination and submitting one that succeeds are two very different things. The vast majority are unsuccessful, and the difference almost always comes down to how compellingly the case is made. Here is how the process works, in four steps.
Anyone based anywhere in the world, who meets the criteria, can be nominated – as long as they have made a significant impact in the UK or abroad. You will not choose the level of honour yourself. Whether a nomination leads to an MBE, OBE, CBE, damehood or knighthood is decided by the independent Honours Committee. Your challenge is to make the strongest possible case for your nominee.
This is where nominations succeed or fall short. Honours are awarded based on evidence, so you must clearly substantiate your nominee’s recent achievements, focusing on the difference they have made and the impact on others. You are nominating one person, not a group, and the committee is not looking for a CV. It wants the story of why this individual is exceptional. Done well, this is what separates a successful nomination from the thousands that fail.
You will need letters from people who know your nominee well and can speak to their impact first-hand. Two is the minimum, but a nomination carries far more weight with more behind it. We typically recommend between five and fifteen letters, each adding strength and credibility from a different perspective.
Once your case and supporting letters are ready, the nomination is submitted to the Honours Secretariat at the Cabinet Office. There is no deadline to work to, so you can take the time to get it right. From there, the assessment process begins. It typically takes 18 to 24 months before your nominee finds out if they will be honoured, but the consideration period can be even longer.
There is no requirement to use a professonal writing service, and many people prepare their own nomination. The real challenge is the gap between submitting a nomination and submitting one strong enough to succeed. Are you able to put in the time and expertise it takes, or would you be better off bringing in expert help?
The nomination form is free, and anyone can complete one.
Achievable, but it takes a great deal of time and a confident grasp of what the committee is looking for. Many people start out intending to write their own nomination and decide, once they see what is involved, that it is worth getting expert help.
Our consultants research and draft the entire nomination for you.
If you are unsure which route is right, the simplest next step is a free, no-obligation assessment. We will give you an honest view of your nominee’s chances, whether you go on to write the nomination yourself or ask us to take it on.
Thanks to Awards Intelligence for their expert support and guidance they gave my nominator, it was this that put me in the best possible position to be awarded my MBE at the King’s Birthday Honours this year. I was delighted,
Our brochure sets out our services, our approach to crafting an honours nomination, and how our globally recognised experts will give you the best chance of success.
