Student life needs student leaders.
Will it be you?
Be part of the story.
Our key aim is to motivate and inspire all students to participate in this years Leadership Race - either by nominating themselves or voting - we want this year's Race to be the biggest yet. On this page, you will find our campaign theme, our communications plan, and a range of digital assets to support you in promoting the Leadership Race.
Campaign theme: Be part of the story
This year's campaign is 'Be part of the story'. The aim of this is to show students that the story of student life has been written by generations of student leaders for the last 130 years.
We will use a wide range of student stories to reflect the diversity of who a student leader can be, and the impact they have. We want all students to feel proud to belong to a community of student leaders and changemakers. We want to empower students to apply for leadership positions and/or vote and add to the collective voice of past and present student leaders at UCL. We want to show how all actions, big and small, have a lasting impact on the story of student life at UCL.
Leadership Race Communication Plan
We've broken down the different stages in communications plan in the table below. Please refer to this when sending out any communications during the Leadership Race and seeing how you can tie your messaging and calls to action into the wider campaign. (This won't work for all departments or all pieces of communication but should be used as a general rule of thumb).
| WEEK beginning | key leadership milestones | other union key moments | comms theme | aim | key message (examples) | Key activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.01 | Nominations open | Feb: LGBTQ+ History Month | Explain / Inform | Explain what the Students' Union is, what and what the leadership race is and how it runs. | The Union is led by student leaders, who are elected by you every March during the Leadership Race. Having passionate students leading the Union is so important because the Union is at the heart of student life and making more happen at UCL. | Thinking of nominating yourself event with interested students. Information provided to student leaders at policy zones. |
| 05.02 | Explain / Inform | Explain who student leaders are and what they do. | We’re led by students, democratically. Students decide what we do and how we do it. Each year six students are elected by you to lead the Union. They're called Sabbatical Officers. They take a year out of their studies and get paid to make decisions, influence UCL, and most importantly represent you. | Representation and Democracy Team to start contacting keen students who are already currently leaders or who have shown ambitions for additional leadership roles eg. Excellent Academic Reps. | ||
| 12.02 | Reading week / Volunteering week | Explain / Inform | Demonstrate the impact student leaders have on improving student life. | From founding the first Gay Society in the UK in the 1970s to setting up the first UCL Wheelchair Basketball showcase in 2023, UCL student leaders have been at the forefront of creating change and making more happen at UCL. Student life needs student leaders. Be part of the story. | Thinking of nominating yourself event with interested students. | |
| 19.02 | International Festival | Inspire / Take Action (nomination) | Empower students to see themselves as the next generation of leaders and submit an application. | Did you know that student leaders have been pathing the way at UCL for the last 130 years? Student leadership is baked into our DNA. From activities to activism, student life wouldn't exist without students, like you, leading the way. Student life needs student leaders. Be part of the story. Apply today. | Thinking of nominating yourself event with interested students. All Staff Presentation led by Representation and Democracy Team | |
| 26.02 | Leadership Race Roadshow - Going across campus to speak to students about the Leadership Race. | |||||
| 04.03 | Nominations close / Candidates announced / Candidate Briefing | Inspire / Take Action (Vote) | Show the value of voting and empower students to vote. | Voting in the Leadership Race puts the power back in your hands. You chose your leaders. They will represent you, shape your communities and help you make change happen at UCL. We all want to leave the world a little bit better than how we found it. Even if you are leaving at the end of this academic year, your vote matters for generations of students to come. Voting in the leadership race is crucial for maintaining a vibrant and democratic student community and ensuring that the interests and voices of all students are represented and heard. | Campaigns Session and media day led by Pi Media. | |
| 11.03 | Vote week | Varsity | Inspire / Take Action (vote) | Show the value of voting and empower students to vote. | Student life needs student leaders. Whose yours? Nothing will change if you don't vote. Make your voice heard. Vote. You're not just choosing a candidate - you're helping shape the future of your community. Vote. Don't underestimate the impact one vote can have. Vote. Every vote tells a story. What does yours say? Don't waste your vote. Every voice counts. Every vote counts. | |
| 18.03 | Winner announced | Varsity | Celebrate | Celebrate the incredible achievement of winners, candidates and voters. |
Digital Assets
Useful links
- Leadership Race homepage
- Leadership positions available - When nominations open this is where students find a position to nominate, it's also the landing page for voting between 11 and 15 March
- Guides, resources and advice - if you upload content that for Leadership Race please remember to tag 'Leadership Race' and it will pull through to here
- Key dates
- Events
- Marketing content plan - you can see what we're planning to share across our communications channels. If you have an idea about how we could collaborate please reach out to the marketing team.