Excellence in Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

This award recognises organisations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in talent acquisition and recruitment over the past 12 months. It celebrates HR teams and talent professionals that have implemented innovative, effective, and strategically aligned recruitment initiatives to attract, engage, and retain top talent in support of organisational growth and long-term success. Judges will be looking for evidence of innovation, measurable impact, and strategic contribution through enhanced recruitment processes, employer branding, candidate experience, workforce planning, and talent acquisition outcomes. Entries may range from organisation-wide talent strategies to targeted recruitment campaigns or initiatives addressing specific workforce challenges. Entry is by a 5-page A4 PDF submission; the judges will be looking for clear information, backed up by evidence, that pays particular attention to the criteria listed below.

• Organisation Background: Please provide an overview of your organisation, including size, structure, industry, and workforce profile. Outline the role of the HR or talent acquisition function and how recruitment supports wider organisational objectives and business growth.
• Strategy Overview: Outline the objectives of your talent acquisition and recruitment strategy. Explain how the strategy was developed, the key priorities identified, and how it aligns with the wider goals of the organisation.
• Talent Acquisition Initiatives & Innovation: Please detail the key recruitment and talent acquisition initiatives implemented over the past 12 months. Demonstrate how your organisation has approached attracting, engaging, recruiting, and retaining talent in a way that supports workforce capability and organisational performance.
• Key Challenges: Outline any recruitment or workforce challenges faced during the implementation of the strategy, such as talent shortages, competition for skills, changing workforce expectations, or scaling requirements. Explain how the HR or talent acquisition team addressed and overcame these challenges.
• Measurable Outcomes & Results: Highlight the measurable outcomes of your talent acquisition and recruitment strategy and provide evidence of how success has been tracked and evaluated. This may include improvements in time-to-hire, quality of hire, employee retention, candidate satisfaction, diversity metrics, onboarding success, employer brand awareness, workforce capability, or business performance outcomes.