WE'RE BACK!

Before the dust had even settled on our first awards ceremony we realised… people wanted more! And who are we not to deliver?! The energy, pride, and passion in the room made it clear: our profession deserves to be celebrated - loudly and often!

Categories have been tweaked in response to feedback; application forms have been streamlined, making it easier for you to focus on what the judges are looking for; there's a longer entry period to give you space to make time to get those entries in.

So now it's over to you to show us what you've got! Whether you're a rising star or a seasoned pro, this is your time to shine.

Across the six themed categories, judges will be looking for evidence of an outstanding contribution within a specific area of people management and/or development.  Our four judging pillars should be reflected in your entry.  This year, they are:

• Creativity and innovation: fresh, forward-thinking approaches
• Impact: qualitative and quantitative evidence of impact on people and the business
• Strategic alignment: initiatives clearly embedded into core HR and business strategy
• Sustainability: long-term thinking, vision, and outcomes

The application form takes you through the following sections, with tips on the information you should include:

What was the challenge or issue – what wasn't working or what was missing, and why did it matter?

What did you do - how did you make it happen?

What got in the way – what obstacles did you come up against?

What did you fix – how did you turn things around and keep going?

What changed as a result - show us the impact

And finally - why is this award-worthy?

For those who need it, we've included a "stuck for ideas" section. But these are just ideas!  Our judges are well aware that every organisation is different, at different stages of "the journey", and with different initiatives and successes to share.  So be assured that your entry will be judged on its own merits and in its own context.

As you read through the categories, you might feel that the project(s) you want to showcase applies to more than one! That's fine – as long as you tailor the entry to the specific focus of the category!

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Sponsored by Monmouthshire Building Society

We're looking for high-impact, strategic, and often bold approaches to building more inclusive workplaces that go far beyond a tick-box exercise.

Stuck for ideas?

• Have you developed inclusive hiring practices, maybe redesigning processes to remove bias or creating targeted outreach programmes for under-represented communities?
• Or maybe you've set up Employee Resource Groups or allyship programmes to engage your people and influence company decisions?
• Perhaps you've expanded your EDI programmes to include faith, culture, neurodiversity or intersectionality?
• What about family-friendly or parental initiatives that enable people to maximise their work-life balance?

Enter here

Employee Engagement

Sponsorship available

We're looking for programmes, campaigns or strategies that have successfully boosted morale, motivation, connection, and commitment across the organisation.

Stuck for ideas?

• Have you developed programmes that define and embed company values in a tangible way, maybe through peer recognition to show appreciation and celebrate everyday wins?
• How creative is your internal communications strategy – do you use different channels and initiatives to keep messages fresh and/or help remote or hybrid teams feel connected?
• What about flexible working policies that let people choose how and where they work, or customised perks to reflect generational preferences?
• Do you have effective voice and feedback mechanisms that have translated into positive business outcomes?

Enter here

Learning and Development

Sponsored by CAVC, ALS, ACT

We're looking for strategic, scalable, and employee-centric initiatives that cover all areas of L&D, with an emphasis on accessibility, innovation, and impact.

Stuck for ideas?

• Have you implemented an inclusive and accessible strategy that creates a culture of curiosity, feedback and personal responsibility for growth?
• What about digital or on-demand learning - AI-powered platforms that offer personalised paths; microlearning, podcasts, mobile learning, or gamified content delivery; use of VR, AR, AI, or interactive storytelling to deepen engagement?
• Do you offer manager, leader, and high-potential development – multi-tiered leadership and succession-focused programmes?
• How do you measure ROI and use analytics to shape your strategy and optimise content?

Enter here

Transformation and Change

Sponsored by Welsh Government

We're looking for examples where HR has played a strategic role in enabling or leading organisational change – whether cultural, structural, technological or strategic – with a strong emphasis on people impact, execution, and adaptability.

Stuck for ideas?

• For smaller organisations, this may be in response to fast growth; for larger organisations, maybe you've transitioned to global shared services, new business units, or matrix structures?
• Mergers and acquisitions are more common than ever – how have you supported the organisation through significant change, including post-merger integration and embedding a new cultural identity and values?
• What about digital transformation – has the organisation adopted new technologies, transforming the employee experience through automation, self-service, or AI?
• Any successful change programme relies on managing employee engagement and communication – how have you managed this?

Enter here

Talent Management

Sponsored by Human Resourcing

We're looking for attraction, recruitment, development or retention initiatives which celebrate forward-thinking, people-first strategies.

Stuck for ideas?

• Have you implemented innovative strategies to attract and recruit candidates for hard-to-fill roles or from under-represented groups? A great apprenticeship programme would fit in here!
• Does your recruitment process deliver the best experience for candidates from application to onboarding?
• How do you retain a competitive edge? Have you got a standout EVP that reflects your company purpose and DEI?
• Does your talent management strategy demonstrate focus on workforce and succession planning with a commitment to retention through growth?

Enter here

Wellbeing

Sponsored by HSF

We're looking for entries that highlight how organisations have gone beyond basic perks to design and deliver holistic and inclusive strategies that genuinely support their people – physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and financially.

Stuck for ideas?

• How have you used analytics and feedback loops to measure impact such as reduced absenteeism, improved engagement, or higher retention?
• Have you developed an integrated strategy that tailors offerings based on employee feedback or personas (e.g., parents, shift workers, caregivers)?
• Perhaps you've introduced strategies that address work-life balance and flexibility, for example four-day week trials, meeting-free days, or protected focus time?
• Do you have programmes that focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing? Physical health? Financial wellbeing? Social wellbeing?

Enter here

Individual impact

Sponsorship available

Since the inception of the CIPD Wales Awards back in 2016, the category for consultants has always been a challenge. So this year HR in Wales, together with a group of independent consultants, has acknowledged feedback over the years - the difference between independent consultant and larger consultancies; the sheer range of services that consultants offer; the ever-growing specialisms within the sector; and the sometimes very sensitive nature of the work they do – and created a unique and inclusive opportunity for this important part of our professional network.

The judging pillars remain the same, but for this category you may focus on one element rather than demonstrating all four elements in any one entry (which of course means that you can enter more than once), and the application form will not be restricted to set questions.

We're looking for independent HR consultants or individuals within larger consultancies who are delivering outstanding people solutions. Whether you work solo or as part of a growing team, this category celebrates your ability to deliver innovation, impact, strategic insight, and long-term thinking to clients.

Stuck for ideas?

• Focus your entry on creativity and innovation – what is unique about your approach, style or services, and how do you bring fresh thinking to your work? How do you market, position or differentiate your business and adapt to market or client shifts? Or tell us about groundbreaking tools, resources or methodologies that you've created.
• Or you could focus your entry on impact – maybe share a success story where you've made a positive impact on a client or individual? What about your wider impact across the HR community in Wales? Does your impact go beyond that through contributing to your community or social causes?
• Maybe you could focus your entry on strategic alignment – how do you ensure consistent quality in your offer? How do you adapt your work to meet client and/or market needs? What's your contribution to networks, mentoring, thought leadership?
• Think about sustainability – how have you developed your brand? What does it mean to you and others? How do you stay current and credible in a changing HR landscape?

Enter here

Rising star of the profession

There is no cost to enter the awards! Once the shortlist has been announced, finalists will have a priority window to buy tickets to the awards event before they are released on general sale.

Submitting entries:

• All entries must be submitted via our online platform by the deadline of Friday 16th January. Once you've registered, you can start your application, save and return to it at a later date, and you can event access and edit a submitted entry right up to the closing date!

• The eligibility period for your submission should relate to the period January 2023 to date.

• You may enter the same project into more than one category, but please ensure that each submission is tailored. Duplicate entries will not be accepted.

• If you're entering an initiative that was delivered with/for a client, please ensure that you have their consent to the ways in which we may use entry details in promoting the event.

• You may mark sensitive parts of their entries "not for publication" (eg exact budget figures) provided that such restrictions are not used unreasonably.

Judging:

• Finalists will be invited to a virtual interview on Tuesday 24th February. Given the number of interviews and judging panels involved, the date isn't flexible changed. We may be able to accommodate specific timing requests.

• The judges' decision is final! Due to the volume of entries we cannot provide feedback on all individual entries.

Shortlist:

• The shortlist will be announced via social media on Tuesday 3rd February.

• Finalists agree that that their project name, company logo and any supporting image may be used on the HR in Wales website, in online promotion leading up to the awards ceremony, onscreen during the ceremony, and in case studies post-event.

• We encourage finalists to proudly promote themselves as HR in Wales Awards finalists/winners – we will provide social media banners for this purpose.