Kirklees Adult Learners' Awards 2026

The 23rd Kirklees Annual Adult Learners' Awards celebrates the achievements of exceptional individuals who have shown outstanding passion, commitment and drive to improve themselves, their community or workplace through learning, often in the face of difficult circumstances.

The awards ceremony is invitation only and will be taking place this year on 22nd October 2026.

About our awards

We are looking for nominations for people whose learning achievements will inspire others to return to or take up learning, people who have improved their lives and/or the lives of others and gained a positive or life-changing experience from adult learning.

Eligibility criteria

  • Adult learners must be over 19 years old.
  • They must live in Kirklees.
  • Any learning activity must have taken place within the last 12-18 months.

Nomination categories

  • Exceptional learner of the year
  • New directions/Career change
  • Apprentice of the year
  • Learning for work/employment
  • Volunteer of the year
  • Most significant contribution to the community
  • Overcoming barriers
  • English language learner
  • Return to learning
  • Numeracy learner
  • Skills Bootcamp (Training Employment Programme)
  • Other

Informing the nominee

It is recommended that you inform the learner that you have nominated them for an award. We will contact all nominees via email once winners have been selected. Winners will be invited to attend the ceremony in October. We would like to share some information about the learner's journey at the awards ceremony and in promotional material. Learner consent will be collected once winners have been selected.

Nominating learners

Click on the following the link to complete your nomination for learners. Nominations will close at 12 noon on Friday 26th June 2026.

Submit a person for nomination

To submit a person for a nomination for an award, please complete our online form.

Completing this form takes around 15 minutes.

  • Entries are free and open to individuals and organisations living/based in Kirklees.
  • Learning can be accredited or non-accredited and take place in any setting, from workplace to classroom, in the home or in the community.
  • Anyone aged 19 or over can nominate/be nominated for a Kirklees Adult Learners' Award.
  • Entrants must be nominated by another person - this could be a friend, mentor, colleague or employer who is well known to the individual nominated.
  • Your application will only be judged on the information you provide in your entry.
  • Learning must have taken place during the last 12-18 months.
  • We would encourage nominations from underrepresented areas.

Ensure that you have received permission from the nominee to nominate them

The nomination closing date is Friday 26th June at 12 noon.

Nominate a learner

After you've applied

All nominees and nominators will be contacted by email in July.

All winners and winning nominators will be invited to the awards event.

Adult Learning Kirklees will contact all winners to check eligibility and accuracy of information supplied on the nomination forms.

Adult Learning Kirklees will contact all winners to review consent for sharing information.

Selection process

  • A panel of judges will select the final category of awards and winners.
  • All winners will be notified by the Adult Learning Team of Kirklees Council during July.