Brian May Awards

The Brian May Access to Higher Education Learner Awards were launched in 2019 in memory of a dear colleague, Brian, worked for Open College Network West Midlands between 2010 and 2016 firstly as a moderator and centre reviewer before taking up the role of Access Adviser. His main areas of expertise were Humanities, Skills for Learning and Education Studies.

Thoughtful and erudite, Brian brought his substantial knowledge and experience to his work, guiding tutors through the rigours of Access to HE course delivery and helping to improve the content of the Diplomas and, therefore, the learner outcomes.

Following his death in 2018, the Learner Awards were named in his honour.

To date, over 145 learners have received an award. Each year, our centres are invited to nominate learners within two categories: Outstanding Academic Achievement and Outstanding Commitment to Study.

Two winners are then selected to represent AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group at the national, Keith Fletcher Awards.

View the 2024 winners here

Applications for 2025

11 July – 12 September 2025: Nominations period

w/c 15 September 2025: Judging commences

w/c 6 October 2025: Shortlisted candidates announced

4 December 2025: Winners announced at the Access to HE Celebration Awards

Invitation to nominate learners

Nominations can be made by providers delivering AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group Access to HE Diplomas by completing the nomination form and submitting it to AIM by Friday 12th September 2025.

Ten awards of £600 each (five for each category) will be awarded to finalist outstanding Access to HE learners.

All candidates will be informed w/c 6 October. The two overall winners (one from each category) will be announced at the prestigious 2025 Access to HE Celebration Awards ceremony on Thursday 4th December (venue tbc).

The two winners will automatically go through to the national 2026 Keith Fletcher Awards Prize.

 

Categories

Category 1: Outstanding Academic Achievement. Download the nomination form.

Category 2: Outstanding Commitment to Study. Download the nomination form.

 

Submit a nomination

This is an excellent opportunity to reward those students who are outstanding in their studies and committed to their future progress. You can nominate a maximum of three learners per category. Each nomination must be on a separate nomination form. All of the nominees must be notified of their nomination. They should also be informed that we may use their learning stories in our marketing publications should consent be given.

Please collaborate with your students to complete nomination forms and submit them to: marketing@aimgroup.org.uk by 12 September 2025.

 

General rules and conditions

  • AIM centres are invited to nominate Access to HE students on courses in the current academic year (ie 2024-25).
  • Learners withdrawn from the course will be ineligible for an award.
  • A centre can nominate up to three learners per category.
  • Each nomination must be on a separate nomination form.
  • All nominees must be notified of their nomination. They should also be informed that we may use their learning stories in our marketing publications should consent be given. Where approval has been provided, AIM reserves the right to use the information provided in the nomination form for marketing and publicity purposes.
  • Students plus a guest will be invited to attend the Access to HE Celebration Awards ceremony in December. If students are unable to attend, centres will be asked to provide a photograph of the student being presented with the cheque for publicity purposes at a later date.
  • The decisions of the panel of judges will be final.