Terms and conditions
About Us
Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity, and royal charter body, that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. Our registered charity number is 1068852. More information about the palaces we look after, and our work can be found on our website www.hrp.org.uk.
Inspiring History Teaching Awards Terms and Conditions.
These terms and conditions set out how to enter the awards and how they will be judged. By entering yourself or someone else for the awards or by accepting a nomination, you are agreeing to the following terms.
Eligibility Criteria
These awards are open to teachers of history who teach to school age students across the UK and who are currently teaching in Primary, Secondary, Further Education, SEND/ASN schools or other alternative provision settings.
These awards are open to teachers at all stages of their careers including early career teachers.
Teachers in home educational settings or private tutors are not eligible.
The following subject areas are also included: The World Around Us and Environment and Society in Northern Ireland; Humanities Area of Learning and Experience in Wales; Social Studies in Scotland.
Judging and Prizes
Entries will be divided into 10 areas (Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and 7 regions in England) across the United Kingdom. A winner for each area will be selected by a panel of local judges.
These regional and national winners will receive a cash prize of £500 each and an annual Historic Royal Palaces membership. Winners’ schools will receive a prize of £500 to spend on history education.
All regional and national winners will be invited to become Historic Royal Palaces' Teacher Champions. Opportunities will include facilitating teacher training and presenting at special Teacher Network events led by Historic Royal Palaces.
All winners will be invited to the Tower of London for a celebratory awards ceremony and dinner on Saturday 20 June 2026 where an overall winner, chosen by an esteemed panel of historians and educators, will be announced. Historic Royal Palaces will cover travel and accommodation expenses for this event for winners and one guest (subject to approval).
The overall winner will receive an additional prize of £500 (£1000 in total) a lifetime Historic Royal Palaces membership, and the overall winner’s school will receive an additional prize of £500 (£1000 in total) to spend on history education.
How to Enter
You can submit a nomination for yourself or someone else. The person making the nomination must create an account with the awards platform, Award Force, prior to inputting information.
View the Award Force Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Data Processing Agreement.
Entries open on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at 00:01 and close on Sunday 25 January 2026 at 23:59.
If you are nominating someone else we recommend completing your nomination by Sunday 18 January 2026 so that the teacher has enough time to submit their evidence.
To nominate someone for the award you must be over 18. If someone under 18 would like to nominate a teacher, they will require an adult to register and complete the nomination on their behalf.
If you have been nominated, you will receive an email from no-reply@app.awardforce.com which invites you to submit further information and evidence to complete your entry for the award.
You must provide information for 4 out of 6 criteria outlined below:
- Using creative/innovative approaches to bring the past to life
- Embedding inclusive teaching practices, to make history accessible and relevant for all students
- Encouraging skills of historical inquiry and investigation
- Exploring diverse histories and lesser-known stories in engaging ways
- Utilising historical sources and heritage sites effectively, to enrich learning
- Raising the status of history as a subject in your school community
Read guidance for each criterion here.
You may submit up to 10 pieces of evidence to support your entry.
Student names or identifying information must be redacted from evidence.
Entries received after the closing date, or any incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Entries are accepted only via the awards platform. Any entries emailed, posted or sent via another format will not be accepted.
Entries that do not conform to all the entry criteria will not be accepted.
Entries cannot be edited after they have been submitted.
By submitting a nomination or responding to a nomination request you agree that all the information and evidence submitted is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge.
We do not recommend the use of automated software or artificial intelligence software to prepare your entry.
Judging Process
Entries will be shortlisted by Historic Royal Palaces staff and put forward to panels of independent judges to choose their regional or national winner. Judging decisions are at the sole discretion of judging panels and there will be no right for individuals to appeal decisions.
Winners
The regional and national judging panels will select one winner for each area who will be announced on Wednesday 25 March 2026.
These regional and national winners will then be considered by our overall judging panel who will select one overall winner. This winner will be announced on Saturday 20 June 2026.
Winners will receive their prizes as soon as practicable after the awards ceremony.
If a winning teacher moves schools or leaves the profession, prizes for their school will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Ownership of award nomination entries
You confirm that you own the legal rights in any artistic or literary work including, but not limited to, any photograph, image, artwork or text shared with the Historic Royal Palaces for the purpose of these awards.
You will retain ownership of any artistic or literary works submitted with your application including photographs, images, audio or text, but you agree that Historic Royal Palaces may, in our sole discretion, make any part of your nomination entry available on our website (www.HRP.org.uk) and in any other media in connection with any publicity of the awards or of Historic Royal Palaces.
You confirm that you will not include any personal information about anyone other than yourself in your entry.
Data protection and publicity
Unless you have indicated separately that you wish to be contacted by Historic Royal Palaces about our work, Historic Royal Palaces will only process your personal information in connection with the awards, and to fulfil these Terms and Conditions.
All personal information will be treated in accordance with our privacy policy available at https://www.hrp.org.uk/privacy-notice .
Award Force will process personal information in accordance with their policies. View the Award Force Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and Data Processing Agreement.
Historic Royal Palaces will publish the full names of the award winners and the names of their schools on our website, and we may ask you to participate in publicity for the awards.
You may object to the publication of your information and decline to participate in any publicity. However, the details of the winners could be obtained by sending an email to info@HRP.org.uk within 30 dates after the Announcement Date.
General
If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, Historic Royal Palaces may, at our sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition.
Historic Royal Palaces reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the awards where it becomes necessary to do so.
These terms and conditions are governed by English and Welsh law. If any entrants to these awards wish to take court proceedings, then they must do this within the courts in England.
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