Click the questions below to see the answers.
How can I enter the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards?
This year we are accepting entries using our online form. You can share written information and share documents such as: video, photos, presentations etc.
We recommend saving powerpoint presentations and other large files as PDFs.
We recommend uploading a video to YouTube or Vimeo and sharing the link. Click here to view the guide on uploading videos and reducing file sizes.
Why do I have to keep my entry and answers short?
Two thirds of our independent judges will have a learning disability and/or autism.
By answering the same questions as everybody else and by keeping your answers short, it helps makes the judging process more accessible.
It also gives every entrant a fair and equal chance.
Who can enter? What if I already entered or won?
We are accepting entries from people in the UK.
Anybody with a learning disability and/or autism can enter themselves.
Anybody can nominate someone they know with a learning disability and/or autism.
We ask that if you are nominating somebody else you have direct contact with them as there is information we will ask you to share.
If you have entered in previous years, you can still enter again this year. You can use the same story but we recommend updating it with your latest work and achievements.
If you have already won, you can still enter again this year. But, you must enter with a different story to your winning story.
What happens when I enter?
When you submit the form you have the option to complete a short survey. This is anonymous and we will use the data when we talk to journalists.
Once you enter the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards you will receive a short series of emails with updates about your entry.
We might contact you to ask you some more questions about your entry. This is to make sure everyone has the best chance of winning.
After the Leaders’ Awards have been published in May, we won’t send you any more emails without your consent.
Everybody who enters will also receive an email with their personalised certificate attached. This is to celebrate your achievements.
If the story you submit is successful and you are selected as one of our Leaders you will be asked to complete a consent form.
This consent form confirms that you are happy for us to share your story with other people (including on our website, on our social media and with the press and media).
We will only share your story with your consent and your best interests at heart. All stories and Leaders will be treated with sensitivity and informed consent.
If you don’t want your story shared you will have to choose to remain anonymous or we will have to select somebody to take your place as a Leader.
What happens when I nominate somebody else?
When you submit the form you have the option to complete a short survey. This is anonymous and we will use the data when we talk to journalists.
Once you enter the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards you will receive a short series of emails with updates about your entry.
We might contact you to ask you some more questions about your entry. This is to make sure everyone has the best chance of winning.
After the Leaders’ Awards have been published in May, we won’t send you any more emails without your consent.
Everybody who enters will also receive an email with their personalised certificate attached. This is to celebrate their achievements. The certificate will be sent to the contact details supplied in the entry form so you may have to pass it on to the person you nominated.
If the story you submit is successful and the person you have nominated is selected as one of our Leaders, we will contact the person specified in the entry form.
We will ask this person to talk to the person they nominated about the Leaders’ List. If the person they nominated is happy to proceed they will need to complete the consent form.
This consent form confirms that they are happy for us to share their story with other people (including on our website, on our social media and with the press and media).
We will only share their story with their consent and their best interests at heart. All stories and Leaders will be treated with sensitivity and informed consent.
If they don’t want their story shared they will have to choose to remain anonymous or we will have to select somebody to take their place as a Leader.
How will you handle my data?
All person data shared with us is protected under the General Data Protection Regulations.
This means we will not share any personal data supplied with anybody else without consent.
We will share the stories submitted with those involved in the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards.
We store data across a number of secure platforms. Details can be found in our Privacy Policy.
Is the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ just an award?
The Leaders’ Awards is an award and more. It is national recognition and celebration of their achievements.
Not only will winners’ stories be shared nationally but they will also receive a certificate, trophy and VIP invite to our celebration event.
Everybody who enters or is nominated will receive a certificate to celebrate their achievements.
Will there be an event?
We are planning an online or in person event to celebrate everybody on the List. We will share details with the winners and other guests will be invited.
How will the Leaders’ Awards be judged?
We have outlined the judging process for the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ Awards on our “How the awards are judged” page.
When will I know if I have won?
We will ask the successful entrants to complete the Leaders’ consent form in early March.
Once everybody has confirmed that they are happy to be a Leader, we will email every entrant their certificate and announce that our Leaders have been chosen.
We won’t announce who has won and our Leaders will be asked to keep it secret until the winners’ stories are published in May.
What if somebody changes their mind?
There is a chance that somebody our judges have chosen as a Leader decides they don’t want to share their story.
If this happens and they don’t complete the Leaders’ consent form, we will choose the next highest scoring story in that category and ask them to be a Leader.
We won’t announce that our Leaders have been chosen until this process is complete.
When will the latest winners be published?
This year’s Leaders’ Awards will be published in May 2025.
Some people will know who have won before the Awards are published but they will be asked to keep it a secret.
Where will the winners be published?
The Leaders’ Award winners will be published on this website and across our social media channels.
Stories from the Leaders’ Awards and the announcement might be published in other places, such as in newspapers and on other websites.
We want as many people as possible talking about and sharing the Leaders’ stories and we are talking to journalists and other people who can help this happen.