Each year we celebrate the fantastic accomplishments of our students by awarding a prize to the graduate we believe has the most inspirational study experience story.
Perhaps you had to overcome obstacles to complete your course? Or maybe you have used what you’ve learned to make a difference in your personal or professional life? Whatever challenges you went through, we want to hear your story.
The story behind Alan Jenkins Memorial Award
This prestigious award is named after our late Managing Director, Alan Jenkins. Alan lost his battle with cancer in 2015 and this award is a tribute to the values that he held dear and instilled in all of us at University of Essex Online. Alan was passionate about making education accessible to everyone no matter what their background. He believed in people who worked hard to achieve their goals and recognised that success is different for everyone; that what might be seen as success for one person will be different to another.
The winner
The winner of the award will be presented with a trophy and a certificate and they will also receive prize money totalling £500. The winner will be required to make a short video speech that will be available online. You can view videos of our winners from 2021, 2020 and 2019
How to enter?
To enter, all you need to do is submit the form below with your inspirational story (in no more than 350 words) by midnight (GMT+1) Sunday 5 June 2022. Unfortunately, any entries received after this time will not be eligible for consideration.
You may want to consider including the following information in your entry:
- Why did you choose to study online with us? Why choose to study at all, and why now?
- What was your job when you first started your studies? Have you changed jobs or even industries since?
- Have your studies changed your personal and/or working life in a way others may find inspirational?
- Have you battled against adversity to successfully complete your course?
- How have you benefitted from your new knowledge?
- What support have you received from us to help you complete your studies?
- What opportunities do you feel you can now pursue in the future with the help of your new qualification?
- Why should we award you this prize?
Remember, this award is not about the level of your academic achievement; it’s about your journey and how you studied through adversity to reach your personal or professional goals.