Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year Award
What makes a winner?
The Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year Award 2026 seeks to acknowledge and celebrate apprentices’ exceptional achievements and contributions to their workplace.
Judges are looking for entrants who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to their apprenticeship, consistently gone above and beyond in their role, and shown significant personal and professional growth. In particular, judges would like to see:
- Outstanding contributions to the business, such as areas or projects where the apprentice has exceeded expectations
- Evidence of initiative, reliability, problem‑solving, and how they have made a meaningful impact in the workplace
- Inspirational qualities both within their own work and that of others
Who should enter?
To make an application, the apprentice must live or work in Greater Lincolnshire, have started their apprenticeship before the 1 December 2025, or completed their Apprenticeship during the current academic year (August 1, 2025 to July 31 2026).
Completing the form
Applications for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026 can be made by their employer, a trainer, support worker or colleague who feels the apprentice is worthy of recognition. The nominator will complete a declaration confirming the apprentice’s consent to be considered for the award.
Please read these guidance notes carefully – they will help you to complete the application form.
Guidance on completing your application
Please complete all sections of the application form. Incomplete entries will not be progressed to adjudication.
Forms should be completed and submitted using the online form.
Please observe and adhere to the character limit where these apply. The online form will not accept submissions beyond this limit.
The application form is split into four sections:
- Section 1 – Contact Information
- Section 2 – Background Information
- Section 3 – Application
- Section 4 – Declaration
Please ensure that you follow the guidance notes in the application form as these will help you to provide the information that the judges need. All entries will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
Section One – Contact Information
In this section, we will ask you for the contact information of the nominator, the apprentice and the apprentice’s employer details for the purposes of processing the entry and confirming eligibility for the awards. We will also ask for the details of and the apprentice’s training provider.
Section Two – Background Information
You are asked to provide the judges with information about the apprentice job role, the name of the apprenticeship they are completing and level, their start and completion date. You will also be asked to supply information about their employer, the sector they operate in and what the business does. This section will not be scored but will give the judges some background to help them assess the entry.
Section Three - Application
Please answer all questions as fully as possible and please ensure that you include evidence such as quotes from clients, colleagues, statistics, comparative data of key performance indicators or measures , etc. Remember the judges will be looking for evidence of achievement, commitment, and business benefits as a result of the apprentice’s contribution.
Question 1 – Please tell us about the apprentice’s starting point (25%)
In this section, we would like to hear about the apprentice’s prior qualifications, what skills and experience they had before starting the apprenticeship. You could also include information on any barriers to learning and work that the apprentice may have experienced, for example if they are a care leaver, have a disability or health condition or caring responsibilities. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 2 – Describe how the apprentice has developed during their apprenticeship and their contribution to the business (25%)
In this question, the judges will be looking for evidence of the impact that the apprenticeship has had on the apprentice both professionally and personally. You could talk about specific achievements within the workplace as a result of the apprenticeship, or how their skills, knowledge and behaviours have been developed such as their confidence, communication or teamwork. You could also talk about how the apprentice has addressed any challenges that they have faced and how they have overcome these. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 3 – Please detail the ways in which this apprentice has contributed to the success of the organisation they work for or the direct impact that they have had on colleagues or operations (25%)
For this question you may like to explain specific key performance indicators or targets they have achieved or helped the team to achieve. You may also want to mention projects they have worked on and how they support colleagues to achieve organisational goals. (Max 2,500 characters)
Question 4 – Why do you think that this candidate should be considered for the Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026? (25%)
For this answer you may like to outline the aspects of the apprentice’s performance that you consider to be exceptional and above expectations. This could include the opportunities that they have embraced to develop and progress, and any barriers that they have overcome. You may want to mention specific examples of where they have gone above and beyond expectations in their role, making a significant contribution to their organisation. (Max 2,500 characters)
Declaration
You will need to confirm that the information provided is true to the best of your knowledge.
You will be asked to confirm that you have gained the apprentice’s consent to be considered for Greater Lincolnshire Apprentice of the Year 2026 confirming in the declaration that the apprentice is happy to participate in publicity activity related to the Awards. Your declaration will confirm that you are happy for the information provided to be used with publicity material for the awards.
All parties will receive confirmation of the application.
Help with your application
If you require any help with your application, please contact email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk
Conditions of entry
The organisers cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage of an entry. All entries will be treated in the strictest of confidence. The judges’ decisions will be final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the selection of winners.
All entries will be acknowledged by email to the nominee, apprentice and learning provider email provided in the application. If you do not hear from us, please email employmentandskills@lincolnshire.gov.uk.