Celebrating the 2025 People of CAHSS Awards

The People of CAHSS Awards 2025 brought together collegues from across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to celebrate exceptional contributions to the University of Edinburgh.

McEwan Hall was filled with pride and celebration as colleagues from across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) came together for this year’s People of CAHSS Awards. The annual event honours individuals and teams whose contributions help make the University of Edinburgh an inspiring place to work and study.

We were pleased to be joined by senior leaders, including Professor Sarah Prescott, Vice Principal and Head of CAHSS, Principal and Vice Chancellor Peter Mathieson, and College Registrar Heather Lawrence, who helped present the awards on the day.

  • People of CAHSS Awards Trophies
  • People of CAHSS Awards Trophies
  • People of CAHSS Awards Trophies

Recognising outstanding contributions

This year, the scheme received 1,007 nominations, showcasing the extraordinary efforts taking place across the College. Nominations were submitted by colleagues in academic, professional services, and technical roles, representing all career stages.

The judging panel had a tough job choosing winners from such an inspiring group of nominees. Alongside the award recipients, many individuals and teams were also recognised as Highly Commended – a clear sign of just how much amazing work is happening across CAHSS.

A Student-led design with meaning

This year’s event saw the continued collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). The 2025 trophies were designed and produced by a team of third-year Product Design students: Elena Prentice, Henry (Zhuo Chen), Katy Pilling, Ellie Small, and Cosmo.

Working under the guidance of Course Organiser Richard Thompson, Programme Director Isla Munro, and Head of the School of Design Jessamy Kelly, the students created trophies that reflect the essence of the awards. Their design was inspired by three core themes:

  • Community
  • Diversity
  • The structure of CAHSS

These values are embedded in the trophies’ materials, colour palettes, and form – resulting in a piece that is both symbolic and functional.

Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video showcasing the design and making process of this year's trophies.

Each year students at Edinburgh College of Art studying Product Design pitch to make the trophy for the People of CAHSS Awards. In 2025, the students themed their concept around the community and diversity that are held within the structure of CAHSS, with a final product that literally breaks the mould - just like our people.

Our  project  was  inspired  by  cast, so  we  wanted  to  make  a  trophy that  was  a  celebration. So  the  three  themes that  we  identified  were  community, diversity,  and then  the  overall  structure  of  cast. So  there  are  three  aspects  of  the  design  that we  really  wanted  to  bring  into  the  trophy, and  these  are  represented  in  different  ways, from  the  materials  to  the  use  of colour  to  the  actual  structure  of  the  trophy. For  community,  we  decided  to weave  thread  into  the  perbck  piece, and  each  thread  represents  a  person. And  together,  they  show how  people  at  class  are  all  connected. And  the  different  designs, patterns  and  colours  show that  everyone  is  unique, but  still  part  of  something  bigger. In  between  our  two  pieces  of  cast  Jasminite, we  have  a  sheet  of  fuse  glass, which  is  held  together  in  the  structure, which  sort  of  breaks  out  of the  structure  of  Jasminite shape  of  the  square. We  have  this  sort  of  organically shaped  glass  coming  out  of  it. Each  piece  of  glass  is  unique  and  individual, which  we  think  also  really  represents the  individual  nature  of everyone  who  works  in  cats. A  design  communicates  the  structure of  cast  through  its  kind  of, like,  square  frame  around  the  outside, which  contrasts  with the  inner  kind  of  weaving  workings that  show  all  the  people  that  come together  to  make  cast,  what  it  is. We  hope  that  our  trophy  represents the  unique  and  important  individuals being  celebrated  at  the  Cast  Awards. My  favourite  aspect  of the  trophy  is  the  intricate  form  through the  centre  of  the  piece  and the  strong  bold  borders  around  the  edges. The  centre  of  the  trophy brings  focus  through  the  middle  of  it, where  the  woven  fabrics  and glass  come  together  and light  is  able  to  shine  through. I  feel  like  this  really  brings the  piece  together  and  kind  of  highlights the  complicated  internal  components of  the  trophy  and  cast  as  a  community. 

Shared success

The People of CAHSS Awards continue to grow and their success is made possible by the dedication of nominators, nominees, volunteer judges, and organising colleagues. Special thanks also go to the ECA students and academic staff whose creativity and collaboration added something truly special to this year’s event.

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