Honours & King's Awards

Honours & King's Awards

The Honours System

What is the system?

The British Honours System has evolved over the last 650 years to publicly recognise and honour people from all walks of life and all sections of society who have given quite exceptional service and made a significant difference in their community or to their country.

Can I nominate someone?

Anyone can be nominated for an Honour, and anyone can make that nomination, as long as the individual is still actively involved in what they are being nominated for. 

How do I do it?

The process is very straightforward and fully explained online at https://www.gov.scot/publications/honours/ where you will find detailed guidance on how to write and complete a nomination, a nomination form (include link to the form) to download, where to send it and some case studies of recent recipients. 

Is there any other help available to me?

You can do all of this yourself, or, help is at hand from the Honours and Awards Committee in the Dunbartonshire Lieutenancy which is there specifically to guide and assist you through the process.  Contact the Lieutenancy Officer on maggie.hendrie@eastdunbarton.gov.uk who will put you in touch with the Committee.

It is essential and fundamental to success that several strong letters of support and recommendation are sourced and submitted with the nomination from people who know first hand about the exceptional work being done by the individual nominated.  The Lieutenancy Committee can assist you in making sure those letters are as supportive as possible and carry as much weight as possible.

The nomination should be kept confidential and the supporting letters gathered in confidence, without the knowledge of the nominee.  This avoids disappointment if an application is unsuccessful.

What happens next?

Completed nominations can be sent to the Honours and Appointments Secretariat in the Cabinet Office in London at any time during the year but it will usually take anything from 12 to 18 months for all of the several thousand received from throughout the UK to be read and vetted before the success of the nomination is known; the lists of who has received an honour are published twice a year, at New Year and on the King's Official birthday in June.

There are a number of different Honours and the largest numbers are awarded in the types Officer of the British Empire (OBE), Member of the British Empire (MBE) or the British Empire Medal (BEM).  All of the types of award that are made are explained at www.gov.uk/honours but you do not nominate someone for a particular award; the Cabinet Office will determine which, if any, award is appropriate to the particular nomination.

Other than for the BEM, the successful recipients will be invited to either Buckingham Palace or The Palace of Holyroodhouse for one of several formal occasions during the year to be invested by The King or another member of the Royal Family.  Recipients of the BEM are invested by the Lord-Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire at ceremonies arranged locally within the county.  All those who are awarded a BEM are also invited to attend a Royal Garden Party at The Palace of Holyroodhouse.