Nominations open for Geography in Government (GiG) Awards
Celebrating the geographical work across the civil, crown and public sector, the Government Geography profession has today opened up nominations for its annual awards.
To celebrate the geographical work across the civil, crown and public sector, the profession hosts the annual Geography in Government (GiG) Awards. These awards reflect the importance of geography and spatial thinking in the design and delivery of public policy and celebrates the successes of our members, who come from a diverse range of organisations.
Award Information
To celebrate the geographical work across the civil, crown and public sector, the profession hosts the annual Geography in Government (GiG) Awards. These awards reflect the importance of geography and spatial thinking in the design and delivery of public policy and celebrates the successes of our members, who come from a diverse range of organisations.
Nominations are now closed
Shortlisted nominees will be invited to the Geography in Government Awards ceremony, at which the winner of each category will be announced. The winners of each category will be reviewed by an external panel to identify the year’s overall winner, who will be presented an award at the prestigious annual Royal Geographical Society Awards Ceremony (with IBG).
Judging: The nominations will be judged by leaders in the profession, with the overall winners judged by senior representatives of the profession from beyond the public sector.
Criteria for nominations and judging: The awards are open to all civil, crown and public servants who are geographers within the Government Geography Profession at the time of nomination. If you are not already a member of then you can join here.
Nominations will be judged against the following criteria:
Impact – has the nomination made an impact beyond their immediate team or business area or department?
Measurable benefits - does the nomination provide evidence that the project or programme is having a tangible effect?
Communication – has the nominee used effective communication to engage with others for their input and to ensure requirements are met. Where collaboration has occurred, has this been effective?
Sustainability - will the work described leave a lasting legacy and can it be replicated across the public sector?
Inclusion - has the nominee been inclusive, engaging the individual strengths, talents and experiences of teams and considered all groups of customers, service users, audiences or stakeholders in developing solutions?
Categories
There are 7 categories for nominations that showcase the breadth of the work of geography in the public sector. The categories are;
Operational Delivery
This award recognises projects, teams or individuals whose efforts support sustained ‘business as usual’ work. This includes work that supports organisational objectives, outcomes for society and have lasting impact.
Examples of this could be;
- Using geographic insights to improve the way the public sector operates.
- Capturing knowledge, research and geospatial data from a variety of disciplines and sources, collaborating with partners inside and outside government where appropriate, and using this information to influence the operational delivery of government policy to deliver better outcomes.
- Providing a consistent and continuous high level geospatial data service to a high number of customers.
- Developing and maintaining geospatial solutions, using sound geographic knowledge to ensure customers can access the right tools and the right data and support organisational objectives.
Emergency and Crisis Response Delivery
This award recognises projects, teams or individuals whose efforts support emergency and crisis response. The work will have incorporated working at pace.
Examples of this could be;
- Geographic expertise within contingency planning and to support rapid development of policy, evidence and data, operational services and delivery to citizens.
- Showing outstanding contribution in providing geographic services and support through emergencies
- Development, and operation of geographic services within emergency responses.
Excellence in Innovation
This award recognises excellence by a team or individual in advancing geography through the introduction and/or implementation of innovative methods.
Examples of this could be;
- Applying systems thinking, problem solving and analysis to improve results by placing robust evidence, research and geospatial data at the heart of the decision–making process.
- Challenging the status quo, trying something new, adapting and refining when things have not worked well, and learning in the application of geographic science.
Contribution to policy development
This award recognises the application of geographic knowledge and skills to develop excellent domestic or international policy-making in action.
Examples of this could be;
- Developing or using a sound evidence base, ensuring geography forms part a variety of disciplines and sources, and applying robust analysis to understand the data and inform decision-making in support of policy and organisational objectives.
- Understanding the role of place in the development and design of policy development, delivery and user need as priorities from the outset, using new and innovative approaches, as appropriate.
- Capturing knowledge, research and data from a variety of disciplines and sources, collaborating with geo partners inside and outside government where appropriate, and using this information to influence policy development to deliver better outcomes.
- The use of geographical insight to support the corporate decision making and corporate policy.
Excellence in Geo-visualisation
This award recognises excellence in geo-visualisation and mapping, in either the printed form or any mapping available in electronic format (including charts, dashboards and remotely sensed products).
Examples of this could be;
- Undertaking high quality geo-visualisation which enables the user to gain new insight about the area covered.
- Ensuring that best practice is captured and disseminated to others to help spread good practice and understanding.
Excellence in local and regional geography
This award is exclusively open to those working in local and regional public sector organisations. It recognises the breadth and depth of geographical work undertaken across the local government sector in the delivery of local service.
Examples of this could be;
- Delivery of customer services through geospatial solutions,
- Analysis and insight leading to improved delivery of services
- Interdisciplinary working across teams, organisations and areas.
Note: all categories are open to Local Government members. This category however is exclusive to Local Government members.
Contribution to public sector geography
This award recognises a team or individual who has made a difference within their work area through the application of geography or through promoting geography in the past 12 months. This could include leadership.
Examples of this could be;
- Championing geography within the public sector and the role geographers can play in the design and delivery of public policy.
- Promoting how geography can be applied across teams or operational units, ensuring that learning is captured and can be disseminated to others to help spread good practice.
- Supporting geographers either in your own organisation or across the public sector, growing the skill, capability and profession.
- Undertaking geographic related professional outreach to schools and universities to inspire the next generation of geographers and promote the range of opportunities in the public sector.
FAQ
Who is organising the Geography in Government (GiG) Awards?
The Government Geography Profession, sponsored by the Geospatial Commission, organise the GiG awards.
How do I enter?
You can enter yourself or be nominated by a colleague. The person(s) nominated might be contacted if the nomination is shortlisted for due diligence purposes. You may enter as many unique entries as you wish, across all categories, however each application must be submitted separately. Please do not submit the same entry for multiple categories. You must submit the application(s) by the deadline for the current year’s awards.
Who can enter the GiG Awards?
Any civil, crown or public servant who is currently employed and is a member of the Government Geography Profession at the time of nomination. If you are not a member of the profession and are a civil, crown or public servant, you may register at our members website.
Do I have to tell the person I am nominating them?
We advise that you let anyone you are nominating know that you have done so at your own discretion. It is not compulsory to do so but it is usually best to inform them in advance so they are not caught off-guard if they are shortlisted. It’s also an opportunity to let them know what fantastic work they have done!
Do you have any examples of nominations which have been successful?
You can find out more about previous years’ winners on our blog page.
What time period should the work take place in?
These are annual awards so the work nominated should have been undertaken in the last 12 months
Can I submit maps/charts to provide further evidence?
We welcome maps or charts as supporting evidence. These can be submitted via the nomination form and/or the details given therein. However, we won’t take any further written evidence into account, all written evidence should be included within the nomination form word limit.
If you have any further questions please email us at communications@geography.gov.uk
Last updated 21 March 2023 + show all updates
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Nominations now closed
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Nomination deadline extended from 11.59pm on Friday 17th March to 5pm Monday 20th March
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Deadline for nominations extended to 11.59 on Friday 17 March
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updated to include nominations for 2023 awards
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Government Geography Profession annual awards nominations now closed
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Nominations deadline extended to 11.55pm on 18th March 2022
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First published.