The Societies Awards give you all the opportunity to nominate your society to get recognised for their hard work throughout the year.
The Student Group Awards recognise the dedication and achievements of QMSU’s societies and student media groups, this is a chance to nominate your own or another society for them to get recognised for their hard work throughout the year!
The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony on Friday 27th March - save the date!
Please read all available award categories carefully and submit your nominations by Monday 2nd March 2026 (9am) to be considered for an award.
After the nomination period closes, the Student Engagement team will go through the nominations, make a shortlist, and pick one winner per category alongside the SU executive officers. The shortlist and winners will be announced at the ceremony.
Group Awards
This section is a list of all the group awards we have available, please read through all of these and decide which group you think is most deserving of any of these awards.
Society of the Year
Criteria
This award recognises societies that go above and beyond – whether through engaging events, promoting inclusive activities, championing sustainability, or providing diverse opportunities.
Shortlist:
- BL Dance
- BL Surgical
- BL Dental
- Women in Law
- BL Tamil
- Salsa
Committee Member of the Year
Criteria
This award recognises committee members who demonstrates exceptional leadership and contribution to their society, shown through effective communication, fresh ideas, and strong engagement with the community.
Shortlist:
- BL Dance Society - Marina Chan (Events Officer)
- Entrepeneurship Society - Esha Sharma (President)
- Queen Mary Pro bono Society - Priya Nayyar (President)
- Queen Mary Law for All Society - Kalkidan (Kali) Dereje (President)
- Chem Eng - Ida Mathilda Lenz Gorner (President)
Outstanding Event of the Year
Criteria
This award recognises a society who have successfully put together an extraordinary event for their members, the event can be big or small, as long as it was a unique experience your members loved!
Shortlist:
- Women in Healthcare - PAN-London Women in Medicine Conference 2026
- Chemical Engineering - "The gap between science and policy" for climate action week
- Barts and the London Surgical Society - BLSS’s 15th International Conference
- Law for All - Negotiation Competition
- Model United Nations Society - UN Annual Conference
Outstanding Collaboration Event of the Year
Criteria
This award recognises a society who have successfully collaborated with another student group, a student representative, or external partnership to deliver a successful event.
Shortlist:
- Mile End Music Society - QM, LSE, UCL, and Imperial
- Queen Mary Banking and Finance Society - QMBFS and QMIT
- Queen Mary Women In Law Society - LSE's Women in Law
- Engineers without borders - London South Bank, City St George’s and QMUL
- Bollywood Dance society - Bollywood & Hindu Society
Staff's Society Choice of the Year
Criteria
This award recognises societies that uphold best practices, enhance the student community, and collaborate efficiently with the Student Union staff, overall making them a valuable part of the student experience. Nominations for this award will be based on the Student Union’s experiences with all societies over the past academic year, along with relevant nominations submitted for other categories.
Best New Society
Criteria
This award celebrates a group that has either been restarted or newly formed since May 2025. In their first year, they will have successfully established themselves by providing a variety of exciting opportunities for students and building an engaged member base.
Shortlist:
- Business Society QM
- Asian Society
- Women and Queer People in Physics
- Queen Mary pro bono society
- Marketing Society
Best Small society
Criteria
This award celebrates a small society with 10-30 standard members that make a significant positive impact on the students they serve.
Shortlist:
- Sudanese Society
- Asian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) Barts
- Women and Queer People in Physics
- Believer's Loveworld Society
- SANDS: Society for Neurodivergent and Disabled Students
Category Awards
We are excited to launch category awards this year, highlighting the unique contributions and achievements of societies within their respective areas!
To apply for each category, please ensure you belong to the respective category as outlined on the Find a Club or Society page on the “Category” dropdown list.
Best Academic Society
Criteria
This award will be given to a society that promotes their members academic development and organises a range of informative and engaging activities centred around academia.
Shortlist:
- Electronics
- BL Dermatological Society
- QM Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs Society
- BL OBGYN
- Economics Society
Best Professional Development Society
Criteria
This award will be given to a society that consistently to enhance its members’ professional development by organising a range of informative and engaging activities centred around employability.
Shortlist:
- QM Banking and Finance Society
- Women in Healthcare society
- Engineers without borders
- Business Society QM
- Women in Finance and Economics
Best Political, Campaigning, and Liberation Society
Criteria
This award recognises a society that effectively advocates for social change, political awareness, and liberation causes by organising impactful campaigns, engaging members in activism, and raising awareness on issues that matters.
Shortlist:
- QM Human rights Society
- Friends of Palestine
- QM Pro Bono Society
- QM Greens
- Lawyers without boarders (Nominated by SE)
Best Cultural Society
Criteria
This award honours a society that consistently fosters cultural appreciation and awareness within the student community.
Shortlist:
- QM Malaysian
- BL Tamil
- Arab
- Turkish
- Iranian
Best Faith & Spiritual Society
Criteria
This award celebrates a society that creates a supportive and inclusive environment for the faiths and spiritual beliefs of its members and the broader community.
Shortlist:
- Krishna Consciousness
- Believers Loveworld
- North Star
- NHSF Hindu
- BL ISOC
Best Hobbies & Interest Society
Criteria
This award celebrates societies that make Queen Mary a vibrant community by bringing together students around shared hobbies and interests, fostering social connections among members with similar passions.
Shortlist:
- Book Club
- Kpop
- Taylor Swift
- BL Yoga
- Video and Card Gaming
Best Performing Arts Society
Criteria
This award will be given to a student group that excels in promoting the performing arts and showcasing their unique forms of creative expression.
Shortlist:
- Mile End Music Society
- Salsa Society
- Theatre Company
- QM Spoken Word/Poetry
- Bollywood Dance society