Bright Futures held its Annual National Society Awards on Monday 22nd June to herald the end of yet another remarkable academic year for the committees…

Hosted by Deloitte at their offices in London, the day was a huge success with a fantastic turn-out from both Corporate Investors and Committees who came together to be commended and recognised for their efforts and achievements this past year. The guests were forced to contain their excitement until the eagerly anticipated awards ceremony kicked off at 3pm after a full day of motivational workshops, speed networking,  fun anecdotes from outgoing presidents and informative keynote speakers. 

The national event brought over 50 dedicated students from top universities all over the UK together to engage with representatives from more than 20 well known companies, including; PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, UBS, KPMG, CIMA, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Rolls Royce, Barclays and Nestle.

Not only were outgoing committees desperately awaiting news from the judging panel regarding the awards, but the incoming students who would be filling their predecessors’ (rather large) shoes were there to introduce themselves to the national team, corporate investors - and most importantly to begin planning for 2009/10. Bright Futures’ signature speed networking session enabled students to communicate ideas and build strong relations with the corporates. In return, corporates shared their wealth of knowledge and experience at the same time as headhunting proactive and talented leaders for their company’s future. 

Where the morning centred on the new committee members, succession planning and getting everyone acquainted to ensure successful collaboration for the year to come, the afternoon was very much focused on celebrating Bright Futures and its growing network of outstanding talent and committed Corporate Investors.

The honour of both sponsoring and receiving an annual award was evident, given that students and companies were keen to have their names or logos etched onto the attractive glass awards. One student who had reason to celebrate was Tara Sura who was given the ultimate accolade of ‘President of the Year’, an award sponsored by Meltwater Group. Tara, President of Essex Bright Futures, impressed a judging panel of industry experts on the day by delivering an eloquent pitch, demonstrating her perfect balance of leadership and teamwork. When paired with the knowledge that Essex Bright Futures had executed 11 successful events in 9 weeks – the panel could not ignore that a clear winner stood before them. 

The judging panel found Swansea’s strong passion for their society, their ability to acknowledge and overcome challenges and their willingness to share these experiences with other societies inspiring, earning them ‘Society of the Year’, sponsored by KMPG.

Below: ‘Society of the Year’ winners, Swansea with Vanessa Doust from KPMG

Edinburgh scooped up the ‘Best Newcomer’ Award, sponsored by Roll Royce. Marina Gordon, from Edinburgh’s Bright Futures society said: “It was a great pleasure to win the Best Newcomer Award. It was a break-through year for Edinburgh Bright Futures and it is great to have our achievements recognised on a national level.”

Below: Best Newcomers, Edinburgh Bright Futures

Lancaster University’s spectacular Dinner with Industry won them the award for ‘Most Innovative Campus Event’, sponsored by Deloitte. They hosted a sell out event, which allowed Lancaster’s Bright Futures students the opportunity to network with industry professionals and graduate recruiters. They were credited for their flawless co-ordination of the local event and the team’s creative flair.

Students travelling from Nottingham had much to celebrate when Gradintel awarded successes to both Nottingham and Nottingham Trent. The University of Nottingham took home a cheque for £500 as a result of a competition that was run earlier in the year geared towards generating sign-ups for the Personal Profiles, which allow members to be headhunted by top graduate recruiters.

The award for Fastest Growing Society, sponsored by Gradintel, was won by Nottingham Trent University. Lisa Revell, President of Nottingham Trent Bright Futures, commented: “We’re absolutely elated about winning The Fastest Growing Society Award. We started later than everyone else, yet had a fantastic response from students because Bright Futures offers something amazing which you can’t get from your University alone.”