Selection process

24. How does the selection process work?
Nominations are assessed locally and then short-listed by a Local Selection Panel of between six and ten people in each of the nine Government Offices for the Regions, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The panels are chaired by a senior official, or by the Lieutenant-Governor in the Islands.

25. Who sits on these panels?
Membership reflects the diversity of the local area. The Chair appoints appropriately qualified people with local status from, for example:

• the local voluntary and community sector;
• local services (health, education, environment, social services);
• the arts and leisure industry;
• areas such as youth work or urban re-generation;
• the business sector.

26. Are checks made on nominated groups?
Yes, so we can be satisfied that groups are genuine and that their success in the selection process would not bring the scheme into disrepute.

27. How many groups are put forward for central consideration?
So as to get a good geographical spread of nominations, the local panels are invited to select and recommend a given number of groups for central consideration. That number is based on a percentage of the nominations received for each area.

28. Who does the final selection?
The Queen's Golden Jubilee Award Committee. This committee has 9 members with wide experience of the voluntary and community sectors. It is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, the government department which has overall responsibility for voluntary and community activities.

29. Isn’t having two tiers of selection bureaucratic?
No. It is very important that groups nominated by the local community are initially considered locally by people from that community.

30. If a group is not selected, will the nomination go forward to the next year?
Unsuccessful nominations will not automatically be carried forward to the next year because the nature of the group and its work may have changed in the meantime. Updated nominations may be re-submitted.