Nominations for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Honours & Awards, 2022, are now open.

The RCVS Honours & Awards acknowledge and celebrate members of the veterinary profession and wider community. Everyone from the veterinary community is encouraged to nominate individuals who they think have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the fields of veterinary medicine or science.

The award categories open for nominations are below:

  • The Queen’s Medal– an award for a veterinary surgeon with a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the profession;
  • The Veterinary Nursing Golden Jubilee Award– awarded to a veterinary nurse who has had a sustained and distinguished career, who can demonstrate a leadership role within the profession and who can act as an ambassador for the value of veterinary nurses and their work;
  • The RCVS International Award– awarded to veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses or laypeople who have made an outstanding contribution on issues that are in line with the RCVS mission;
  • The RCVS Impact Award– awarded to veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses who have recently, or are currently, undertaking a project, initiative or similar that has a significant impact on the profession at large, animal health or welfare, or public health;
  • The RCVS Inspiration Award– awarded to veterinary surgeons or veterinary nurses at any stage of their career who have demonstrated the ability to inspire and enthuse others consistently throughout;
  • Honorary Associateship– awarded to laypeople (i.e. those who are neither MRCVS nor RVNs) who have made a special contribution to the veterinary sphere and could include, for example, scientists, lecturers, journalists, charity-workers, farriers, farmers and those involved in the commercial field;
  • The RCVS Compassion Award– awarded to a veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse at any stage of their career who has demonstrated compassion towards fellow professionals and/or members of the animal-owning public;
  • The RCVS Student Community Award– awarded to a veterinary or veterinary nursing student who has made a real effort to support their fellow students and the wider veterinary/veterinary nursing school community.

The closing date for these nominations is Friday, January 2, 2022.

The closing date for nominating teams or individuals for the RCVS Knowledge Awards 2022: Quality Improvement Champions is October 18, 2021, and the deadline for teams applying themselves is December 4, 2021.

The RCVS Honours & Awards 2021

The RCVS Honours & Awards 2021 were held on September 23. The evening was hosted by Dr. Mandisa Greene, RCVS senior vice president; Lisa Lockett, RCVS chief executive; Amanda Boag, RCVS Knowledge’s chair of trustees; and Matthew Rendle, chair of VN council.

The ceremony’s keynote speech was given by Dr. Emily Collins-Wingate, a recently qualified vet who graduated during the height of the pandemic. As part of her talk, Emily openly spoke about what it was really like to train and qualify as a vet during a global pandemic and what the wider veterinary community can learn about resilience and determination from the class of 2020.