Nomination Centre
Everything you need to champion your care heroes in one place.
Excellence in care takes many forms, from the quiet dedication of a night support worker to the bold vision of a service manager.
This year, we are proud to present 10 distinct award categories designed to celebrate the full spectrum of social care in Hampshire. Below, you will find the specific criteria for each award. Please review the categories and eligibility requirements below before submitting your entry.
How to Nominate
The Golden Rule of Nominations
The judging process is based on quality, not quantity. The awards are not a popularity contest or a vote. One well-written, detailed nomination providing specific, heartfelt examples will triumph over ten poorly written entries for the same person. Judges only score what is written in the individual nomination form.
Eligibility Check. To be eligible, the care provider being nominated must have an active, paid membership with the Hampshire Care Association (HCA). Nominations for providers who have not paid their 2026 membership fees will not be considered.
Who Can Nominate? We welcome entries from HCA member staff, as well as family and friends of people receiving care from HCA member sites.
The Process. All nominations must be submitted via our official Google Form links.
The Write-Up. You must provide a summary of maximum 300 words explaining why your nominee deserves the award. Be specific and include real-life stories.
Documentation Policy. Please do not send or attach supporting documentation (such as certificates, testimonials, or PDFs) at this stage.
Finalist Requirements. If a nomination is successfully shortlisted as a finalist, the nominator will be contacted to submit photographic or video promotional material to be used during the awards ceremony.
Award Categories & Criteria
Care Volunteer Hero Award
Purpose: To celebrate someone who gives their time freely and makes a lasting contribution to care services or individuals.
Eligibility: Open to any individual who provides their time freely, without payment, to support individuals or care services in Hampshire, Portsmouth, or Southampton. The care provider they support must be an active HCA member.
Judging Criteria: Judges will look for a meaningful and lasting difference made to people or services, consistent commitment and kindness, and a positive approach that inspires others.
Nominate Your Care Volunteer Hero Here
Tech for Care Award
Purpose: To recognize individuals or teams using digital tools creatively to improve care delivery, communication, or efficiency in adult social care.
Eligibility: Open to HCA member individuals, teams, or organizations that have implemented innovative digital solutions to enhance the care experience.
Judging Criteria: Nominations should demonstrate measurable improvements in care quality or inclusion, increased operational productivity, secure data protection, and successful collaboration with staff and service users during implementation.
Nominate Your Tech for Care Hero Here
Rising Star Award
Purpose: To celebrate individuals who have recently embarked on a career in care and have demonstrated exceptional potential, dedication, and impact in their roles.
Eligibility: Open to new recruits, apprentices, students, and trainees who have made a significant impact within their first year in care services.
Judging Criteria: Judges will score based on examples of meaningful impact and initiative, a dedication to continuous professional growth through training or qualifications, and a work ethic that embodies core values like compassion and integrity.
Nominate Your Rising Star Here
Carer of the Year Award
Purpose: To recognize an outstanding individual working in social care who consistently goes above and beyond to provide exceptional support, compassion, and professionalism.
Eligibility: Open to carers working in residential, nursing, or community settings for an HCA member provider.
Judging Criteria: Success is based on evidence of long-term commitment, significant improvement to the lives of those they care for, empathy, and the resilience to persevere through emotional or logistical challenges.
Nominate Your Carer of the Year Here
Support Superhero Award
Purpose: To recognize the vital contributions of non-care staff whose hard work and teamwork behind the scenes are essential to the successful running of care services.
Eligibility: Open to any non-care staff member at an HCA member site, including chefs, cleaners, drivers, administrators, coordinators, maintenance, recruitment, and finance teams.
Judging Criteria: Judges look for a vital role in daily operations, the creation of a welcoming and safe environment for residents, and a consistent work ethic that uplifts both colleagues and service users.
Nominate Your Support Superhero Now
Specialist Carer of the Year
Purpose: To recognize the contributions of carers who possess advanced knowledge or specialized skills in a specific area, such as dementia, learning disabilities, mental health, or end-of-life care.
Eligibility: Open to HCA member carers who have demonstrated expertise and a significant impact in a specific area of care.
Judging Criteria: Scoring is based on advanced training or specialized knowledge, a measurable enhancement in the quality of life for individuals with specialized needs, and a commitment to staying at the forefront of best practices.
Nominate Your Specialist Carer Here
Inspirational Leader of the Year
Purpose: To recognize an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, vision, and inspiration, empowering their team and championing high-quality care.
Eligibility: Open to Registered Managers, Service Leaders, Senior Care Staff, or Directors who have been in a leadership position within the sector for at least 12 months.
Judging Criteria: Nominations must show a significant positive impact on the team and community, and demonstrate the core values of courage, collaboration, and commitment.
Nominate Your Inspirational Leader Here
Residential Home of the Year
Purpose: This prestigious award recognises a residential home in Hampshire that exemplifies excellence in delivering person-centred care. It celebrates providers who foster a compassionate, safe, and empowering environment for their residents.
Eligibility: This award is open to any residential provider in Hampshire that demonstrates excellence in delivering older adult, mental health, learning disability, or specialist care. The provider must have an active, paid membership with the Hampshire Care Association.
Judging Criteria: Judges will look for evidence of exceptional care standards that meet diverse needs. They will also score based on the implementation of innovative practices to enhance wellbeing, strong community engagement with families, and a commitment to continuous staff development and visionary leadership.
Nominated Your Residential Home Here
Homecare Provider of the Year
Purpose: This prestigious award recognises a Hampshire-based home care provider that consistently delivers exceptional, person-centred care. It highlights excellence in service delivery, innovation, and positive community impact.
Eligibility: This award is open to any Hampshire-based home care provider delivering older adult, mental health, learning disability, or specialist care. The provider must be an active member of the Hampshire Care Association.
Judging Criteria: Nominations will be scored on the provider's ability to deliver high-quality, compassionate care that meets diverse client needs. Judges also look for creative solutions to improve client wellbeing, the fostering of strong relationships within the local community, and investment in the professional growth and motivation of the care team.
Nominate Your Homecare Provider Here
Hampshire Care Hero of the Year
Purpose: A special award recognizing exceptional long-term dedication and lifetime achievement in adult social care within Hampshire.
Eligibility: Individuals with a long-standing commitment to adult social care in Hampshire and a proven track record of service, leadership, or advocacy over their career.
Judging Criteria: Judges will look for a lasting impact on the field, a sustained commitment to the wellbeing of the Hampshire community, and evidence of mentoring others to drive positive change in the sector.
Nominate Your Hampshire Care Hero Here
What Happens After You Submit?
To ensure total integrity, our process is built on three pillars:
Anonymisation: Before the judging panel sees any entry, our administrative team removes all identifying information, including individual names, organisation names, and specific locations.
Independent Review: The anonymised entries are compiled by category and sent to our judging panels. The panel for each award includes a non-provider CEO from another Care Association, an HCA staff member, and the award's sponsoring Patron.
Scoring: Judges award points based solely on the merit of the written evidence provided, focusing on impact, dedication, and excellence. judges award 6 points for 1st choice, 3 points for 2nd, and 1 point for 3rd. Only the written content provided in the nomination is scored.
