The awards recognise ±¬ÁÏTV students who have excelled in the workplace through a part-time job, short-term internship, vacation work or summer internship. Students are awarded for going above and beyond the role on a regular basis, exceeding expectations on a given project and/or making a significant contribution that has had a positive impact on the organisation.
Students can also nominate their outstanding employers who have offered transformative employment opportunities, provided an exceptional commitment to their training and development, supported diversity initiatives, or have been flexible around students' studies and shown a commitment to students' skills development.
Our panel of judges had the difficult task of deciding the winners, deliberating over 117 eligible nominations, including 68 individual nominations, 10 in the student Team Award category, and 39 Employer Award nominations.
Our highly commended nominees and winners are as follows:
Significant Contribution Award
- Harry Hubbleday, The Foundry - On Campus Highly Commended
- Ariel Habed, Commercialisation Team - On Campus Highly Commended
- Scarlett Vickers, Faculty of Social Sciences - On Campus Highly Commended
- Ka Chun Ho, Global Engagement - On Campus Highly Commended
- Charlotte Smith, RiteTrax - Off Campus Winner
- Hannah Lyons, Performance Venues - On Campus Winner
Innovation & Problem Solving Award
- Inga Andrzejewska, UoS Confucius Institute - Winner
Leadership Award
- Joseph Ryman, Ryman Farms - Highly Commended
- Hanan Shinwari, UoS Confucius Institute - Winner
Team
- Data Collectors, (Violet, Abigail, Emma, Nell, Ciara & Emma) UoS Confucius Institute - Winner
Employer
- Heather McKinlay/Jennifer Marsden-Lambert, Second Chapter - Off Campus Winner
- Dr Chen Chen, Lecturer in Computer Vision, School of Computer Science - On Campus Winner
On the day, we heard from a variety of speakers, including Matt Marshall, Deputy Vice-President for Education, and Helen Smith, Associate Director of Student & Academic Service (Careers and Employability). It was wonderful to celebrate excellence together, and thank everyone in attendance for joining us to recognise how inspiring our students and their employers are.
It has been an absolute pleasure judging these awards. The wealth of nominations showcase just how many fantastic employers there are across Sheffield and the surrounding areas, including on-campus. These employers give students invaluable opportunities that grow their skills, build their confidence and help their career develop before they have even graduated. Not only that, they create inclusive workplaces that celebrate diversity and allow flexible working with a genuine understanding of students’ needs. All of the nominations demonstrate the lasting, positive impact employers have had on the students they have hired which highlights just how important it is to both hire students as well as seek employment during your studies, whether that be part-time work or an internship.
Maisie Clarke - previous ISW winner (2024) and guest speaker (2025) and UoS graduate
Communications and Engagement Support Officer at Essentia, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
It has been really lovely reading all the nominations! It makes me feel very proud of our students here.
Laura Edwards
Liberation & Activities Officer, Sheffield Students’ Union
Incredibly difficult, but pleasurable, experience in judging. The details provided gave every opportunity for me to fully assess the competency and effort that had gone into this, so a huge congratulations on not only those ranked the highest, but for all those shortlisted and for taking part.
Shane Young
Operations Director, Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce
"Inspiring" perfectly describes our celebrated nominees: our students who don't just fulfil their roles, but exceed expectations and deliver a lasting positive impact, and also the outstanding employers who are a testament to our community by providing transformative opportunities and a commitment to development.
We run these awards to showcase how our students thrive professionally while managing full-time studies, and to thank the employers who provide the essential stepping stones for their success. It is a celebration of the dedication, skill development, and mutual growth that shape our students' future careers.
Alex Ball
Senior Administrator, Student Jobshop & First Contact Team, and Inspiring Student Worker Awards lead
Congratulations again to our winners, and a big thank you to all the nominees, nominators, staff, and our judges for selecting the winners from an excellent and competitive set of nominations!
