Andrew Hopkins Award for Excellence in Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Nominations for this award are open from Monday 9 June 2025 and close on Friday 5 September 2025. Please complete the nomination form and email to awards@anu.edu.au by 5pm, Friday 5 September 2025.

Purpose

To encourage and recognise significant and/or sustained contribution to improve and promote health, safety and wellbeing best practice in the workplace.

This award aims to recognise an individual or team that has demonstrated excellence in health, safety and wellbeing beyond the scope of their expected business as usual work.

Criteria

Nominations will be assessed on the basis of written evidence that demonstrates outstanding achievement in one or more of the following areas:

Innovative Solutions: Excellence in identifying and addressing a health and safety issue through the development and implementation of effective solutions. This may include product or process innovations, design or engineering improvements, training programs, awareness campaigns, or other control measures that reduce the risk of work-related injury or illness and enhance overall wellbeing.
Sustainable Practices: Demonstrated excellence in core business practices that minimise emissions, waste, or the use of key resources—supporting a healthier, more sustainable future for the University community and beyond. This may also include sustained health, safety, and wellbeing initiatives that improve staff engagement and productivity through cost-effective, respectful approaches.
Outstanding Achievement: Overall excellence and proven impact in advancing workplace health, safety, and wellbeing, with clear evidence of value delivered.

Eligibility

All staff members are eligible for the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards either as an individual or as part of a team. Nominees must be employed by the University (on payroll) in the year of the award. Current students may be included as part of team nominations as appropriate.

Nomination process

Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards webpage. Nominations should be submitted as a single PDF document to awards@anu.edu.au, by no later than 5pm on the advertised closing date.

Nominations should be prepared by Sponsors, that is, a supervisor or other person within the University. Sponsors should specifically address the award criteria, provide examples to support their claims, and note that additional references are not permitted, and that additional paperwork will not be considered by the Committee.

Colleges and Service Divisions may choose to set up a committee to ensure that staff who warrant consideration of an award are not overlooked.

Sponsors should note that the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards recognise excellence in achievement and contribution that exceeds the normal expectations of the work undertaken by individuals and teams. The selection committee will consider the academic or professional level and consider their access to opportunity when making their evaluation.

Awards process

Award finalists and sponsors will be contacted once the Committee has made a determination but recipients will not be announced until the awards ceremony. The awards will be presented at the celebratory Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Awards event in the same year and all nominees and sponsors will be invited. Please see awards recipients list below.

In the case of team awards, the team will receive one award, presented to the Team Lead (as specified on the nomination form).

The successful recipient of the Andrew Hopkins Award for Excellence in Health and Safety will also receive $2,000 towards professional development in health and safety as part of the Andrew Hopkins Endowment Fund. In the case of team awards, the team will receive a total of $2,000.