The Proud to be Oldham Awards celebrate the outstanding people and teams at Oldham Council who make a difference to the lives of Oldham residents every day.
The awards recognise the impact our employees have on residents and the borough, and thank them for their continued dedication and commitment.
Nominations
You can nominate as many people or teams as you like for each award, and you can nominate the same person for more than one award.
Please don't submit the same nomination more than once in an award category, as duplicate nominations will not be counted during judging.
The person you nominate must be directly employed by Oldham Council. Employees of MioCare and Oldham Community Leisure (OCL), contractors and agency workers are not eligible.
The information you provide will only be used to administer and judge the Proud to be Oldham Awards.
Once nominations close, two staff judging panels will score each entry. The scores will then be combined to choose the top three nominations and the winner in each category.
Nomination dates
Nominations are open from 16 September to 16 October.
When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced at the Proud to be Oldham Awards on Thursday 12 November 2026 at The Loom.
Each shortlisted finalist will be invited to attend with a plus one.
For Team of the Year, a selection of people from the shortlisted team will attend.
Award categories
- Proud Award: Recognising an employee who is a true ambassador for Oldham Council, inspiring pride in what we do and how we do it.
- Ambitious Award: Recognising an employee who strives for excellence, anticipates residents' needs and continually looks for ways to improve how we deliver services.
- Together Award: Recognising an employee who works collaboratively with colleagues, partners and communities to achieve shared goals and deliver quality services for Oldham.
- Rising Star Award: Recognising an employee with emerging talent who is making a significant impact through their performance, commitment and potential.
- Resident Focus Award: Recognising an employee who has gone above and beyond to make a meaningful difference for Oldham residents through their dedication, support and service.
- Outstanding Contribution Award: Recognising an individual working behind the scenes whose contribution to a project, programme or initiative has made a significant and lasting impact for Oldham, its residents or the Council.
- Team of the Year Award: Recognising a Council team that has worked together to deliver outstanding results and excellent service.
- The Chief Executive Award: Recognising an individual employee or team that has demonstrated exceptional achievement, innovation, leadership or impact. Selected by Shelley Kipling, Chief Executive of Oldham Council.
- Employee of the Year Award: Recognising an employee who has made an exceptional contribution through their work. The winner will be chosen by staff from a shortlist of three.
- People's Champion: Recognising an individual who has made a difference to residents. The winner will be voted for by Oldham residents.