The 2026 NEON Awards is kindly supported by UPP Foundation.
We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the NEON Awards 2026! Now in their twelfth year, the Awards will take place at the prestigious Palace of Westminster on the 3rd of June from 3.30pm, bringing together leaders, practitioners, and students from across the widening access community.
The NEON Awards celebrate excellence in widening access to higher education (HE), recognising both the transformational work of institutions and practitioners, and the remarkable achievements of students who have progressed to HE from underrepresented backgrounds. This special event will feature the presentation of the awards, a short official address from an MP, and valuable opportunities for networking.
We welcome nominations in the following categories:
How to Nominate
The closing date for nominations is 5.30pm on Friday, 27 March 2026.
To make a submission, simply click on the category you wish to nominate for.
Full details on each category and the awards criteria can be found here.
The 2026 NEON Awards is kindly supported by UPP Foundation.
Commenting on this year’s Awards NEON Director, Martin Webster said “Given UPP Foundation’s 2025 Widening Participation Inquiry, and their obvious commitment to the widening participation agenda, we are absolutely delighted to work with them on this year’s NEON Awards.” You can find out more about the Foundation’s 2025 Widening Participation Inquiry by clicking here.
