Nominations will open on Monday 26th January 2026
Being nominated for an award provides external recognition and validation by your peers, of the efforts, hard work and pure genius that you, your team/partnership, or your organisation have contributed to the success of the UK space industry and to UK Plc.
Nominations criteria and process Nominations are open to individuals, teams, organisations, and partnerships across the UK working in the space sector, its supply chain, or in industries that utilise space technologies. All nominees must be 18 years or older. You can enter for one or more award categories and sub-categories, though a separate fee will be required for each separate submission. Please clearly state to which award and sub-category your nomination relates. If you are unsure which category is the best fit for your nomination, please submit under the Award title ‘General’ which gives permission for the Judges to allocate a suitable category and/or sub-category to your nomination.
You can nominate yourself
You can nominate your team/partnership
You can nominate your organisation
others (who have your permission) can nominate you
your organisation can nominate you.
The Hazels welcome entries from across the UK that demonstrates originality, audacity, and the ability to inspire others. Nominees can enter one or more of the STAR Award categories and subcategories, clearly describing how they meet each of these.
You may feel your entry falls under several sub-categories or awards. In these cases please indicate this on your accompanying nomination form, stating your reasons why you feel your entry falls under more than one sub-category or award.
The judges reserve the right to place a nomination into a different award category or subcategory that they feel is more appropriate to that nomination.
Entry Fee - There is a £25 entry fee, for each nomination. A team or Partnership should submit one nomination per entry only, though it can submit more than one entry.
Concessions are available, should the £25 fee be challenging - please email nominations@thehazels.space using the header ‘Concessions’ to enquire before you submit your nomination.
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION
Nominations should be in the form of a short selfie or video of around 1 minute in length, up to 2 minutes maximum, with flexible accessible alternatives considered in line with individual needs. Should you need an alternative format, please email nominations@thehazels.space using the header ‘Alternative Format Request’
Your video should contain
Your/your organisation/the nominee’s name
Where applicable, the name or reference of your entry
The award category to which you are applying and, where appropriate, the sub-category.
A brief summary of your video submission
Reasons why your nomination should win.
Click on the submit button below. This will take you to a form to enter your/your organisation’s/the nominees name and contact details and the name of your entry (where applicable) and your reference.
Nominations will not be progressed until the fee is received or a concession agreed in advance of your submission.
To submit your video nomination, please submit here
SPACE MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
What makes a good mentor?
Good mentors help someone to become capable of finding their own answers or to realise their own ambitions. A good mentor actively listens to their mentees and seeks to understand their goals and challenges. The following list provides some examples of the qualities of a good mentor. The list is not intended to be exhaustive
shares knowledge and experience without imposing their own path
gives constructive, respectful feedback—including difficult truths when needed
encourages confidence and independence, not dependence
models integrity, curiosity, and professionalism
invests their time and consistency, showing genuine care for the mentee’s development
inspires their mentees to think critically and to reflect on their efforts
Nurtures their mentees, by creating conditions that support mental, emotional and physical well-being and safe spaces
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but no matter how many empirical objectives there are to define a mentor, sometimes it simply comes down to magic of one individual that you cant quantify, package or replicate,
Public Vote - our strategic partner, Orbiteer will manage a separate public vote for the best Space Mentor of the year. Please click here to submit your nomination for the Space Mentor of the Year - please use the category General, before clearly stating Space Mentor of the Year.