Community Award Winners 2026

Coproduced research, by definition, requires cross-sector working and the winner of this year’s award has worked in partnership with the Helen Bamber Foundation exploring everyday experiences of food among people seeking asylum living in catered Home Office hotel accommodation in London. The findings will offer the foundation, and potentially the wider sector, deeper insight into how food is experienced within catered asylum hotel accommodation, including issues of dignity, autonomy, familiarity, routine and adaptation.

The winning organisation hosts activities such as wellbeing workshops and disco nights every week for service users. This provides a comfortable space for users to work on their mental health and wellbeing as well as a social life, an aspect that is really important for people with learning disabilities. It's an incredible place that makes them feel more confident in their potential and capabilities.

The winners of this award have successfully mobilised students through a website, stalls, workshops and survey research. As a result of their hard work and collaboration, their campaign has had real tangible results.

The winner of this award is no stranger to our Networks and has consistently organised hundreds if not thousands of events during their time here at UCL.

The winning Activities Rep has cared deeply for Clubs and Societies during his two years in Leadership roles. Our winner truly embodies what it means to be an activities rep and has been a consistent vocal presence for the students he represents.

The Winner of this Award has eloquently explained the challenges and successes of living at One Pool Street and has consistently organised inclusive and engaging events over the course of the academic year.

The winner of this award has led transformative work in Societies and Networks. He also supports the UCL Disability Services to help them improve their support and help students, and he has supported hundreds (if not thousands) of students individually through his kindness and dedication. He has also dedicated a number of years to running UCL Marrow a Student-Led Project that alongside the charity, Anthony Nolan, helps to save the lives of people with blood cancer by encouraging students to sign onto the stem cell register. He has made a real difference in so many people's lives.

The Oliver Hare Altruism Award is named after UCL Graduate Olly Hare, who was passionate about music, dancing, sports, and giving back. Olly's Future is a foundation set up in his name that is working to help deliver suicide prevention initiatives, particularly for young people.

The winning Network has shown an outstanding level of engagement with members, hosting events almost every week of term—each designed to be accessible, welcoming, and culturally affirming. From movie and pizza nights to craft sessions, cultural workshops, and wellbeing‑focused gatherings, they ensured that students had a safe, supportive space to find community and belonging.

The winner of this award is a Project Leader for DanceIt!, A student-led project where UCL students teach beginner dance classes to older people at Holborn Community Association. Our winner took what was already a great volunteering project and elevated it to be a project that saw the highest number of volunteer sign-ups in Dance Society history!

This individual has stepped up for his community not only within UCL but also publicly when the community was hit by anti-trans propaganda. He coordinated closely with the Students’ Union and raised his community’s concerns real-time, working closely with the Union on an appropriate response. He has been a great support to the LGBTQ+ Officer and a prominent and respected face of the community. As well as being a huge support during a time of crisis, as the Welfare Officer of the LGBTQ+ network, this student has organised a sexual health workshop, supported members throughout the year, and created the LGBTQ+ Wellbeing Guide. We saw how his efforts paid off and the massive impact he created when he got elected to lead on the network the next academic year as the LGBTQ+ Officer and look forward to seeing what more he can achieve.

This year’s winner of Student Officer of the Year has successfully led their Network, collaborated with other student groups, organised a vibrant history month and passed policies which will benefit thousands of students. They are an incredible recipient of this award.

The winner of this award has contributed more than 2,000 hours of service, including over 130 overnight shifts, supporting hundreds of students through London Nightline’s phone and online messaging platforms, in their moments of vulnerability. There were lots of strong contenders for this award but the scale to which our winner has volunteered simply blew the judging panel away.

The winning student-led project aims to create a sustainable impact on disabled people’s lives via the design and build of bespoke assistive technology, devices, equipment, and accessories. This year, three incredibly important projects have been completed: helmet modification for a child, introducing a sleep tracker app and improving the Student Triage and Referral Tool at UCL. This project continues to advocate, support and enhance the lives of disabled people.

Over the past three years at UCL, Darcy has made an exceptional contribution to student life through volunteering, representation, community-building, student-led initiatives, and collaboration across societies and networks. Her flagship project this year, the Career Supercharger, has delivered 20+ events, reached 3,000+ students, and consistently achieved NPS scores above 95. Everyone who knows this person knows that they are truly deserving of this award.

Eda began contributing to student life in 2021, during an especially difficult period when the effects of the pandemic were still being strongly felt across the student experience. One of their most remarkable achievements during this period was leading the largest student-run Turkey earthquake aid campaign in the UK. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength leading intersectionality work, founding a student-led art gallery and who could forget the UCL East Shuttle Bus. This student has been a huge contributor towards student life and they will be sorely missed when they leave office next month.

William is an incredibly hard working and dedicated volunteer. During their time here, they have contributed to the strategic and long-term development of London Nightline. During the entirety of their PhD they have volunteered with London Nightline to support students in need. Our winner has also been heavily involved in the UCL Hiking Club — the Students’ Union’s largest society in 2025–26. Since being elected Walk Leader in 2023, their leadership has been essential for the growth of a huge social club which organises large scale events on a weekly basis. Their commitment to student-life has not gone unnoticed and they truly embody what it means to give back to the student community.