Main menu
Staff & students

Honorary Degrees and Fellowships nominations

Is there someone you think should receive an Honorary Fellowship or Degree from Goldsmiths?

Primary page content

The award of an Honorary Fellowship or Degree marks an extraordinary lifetime achievement.

Goldsmiths awards Honorary Fellowships to those whose exceptional accomplishments reflect the ethos and values important to our community. It is an opportunity for us to honour individuals who have inspired our students, contributed to our community and achieved distinction in industries pursued by our creative and academic disciplines.

Recipients might be alumni or members of the local community who have achieved distinction in their chosen calling, former staff who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to furthering the work of Goldsmiths, or an inspirational individual who has the potential to act as a champion or supporter for the university.

The award of an Honorary Degree recognises a body of work that can be considered equivalent to completing a Doctorate in a discipline represented at Goldsmiths. Recipients are outstanding in their field and command national or international recognition.

Previous honorary graduates include Ali Smith CBE, the award-winning literary innovator; Thomas Heatherwick CBE, the youngest practitioner to be appointed a Royal Designer for Industry; internationally renowned anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall; and Goldsmiths alumni Rob and Josie da Bank, who met in the Goldsmiths Students’ Union and went on to found Bestival.

Goldsmiths staff, students and members of Council can nominate people to receive an honorary award using the online form and criteria below.

If you do not receive an email after completing this form, email governance@gold.ac.uk as your response may not have been received.

Honorary Degrees and Fellowships nomination form

Required information (*)

Your details:

* You are?
* Today's date

Person You are Nominating:

For example CBE, OBE

Criteria

In your opinion, which criteria does your nominee best meet? Please check the relevant boxes. The Committee will recommend to Council the most appropriate honour.

Criteria for Honorary Fellowships

Candidates nominated for a Goldsmiths Honorary Fellowship should fulfil at least one of the following criteria. Preference may be given to those with an established Goldsmiths link, and to those who can demonstrate that they are willing to make an appropriate personal commitment to the University upon receipt of an Honorary Fellowship. Candidates should not usually be a serving politician.

Criteria for Honorary Fellowships

Criteria for Honorary Degrees - University of London

Honorary Degrees of the University of London are conferred in accordance with regulations and criteria which include the following:

Criteria for Honorary Degrees

Please also consider that:-

  • Candidates should not usually be 'serving politicians', including Ministers of the Crown, Members of Parliament or front-bench members of the House of Lords.
  • An honorary degree will not be conferred upon a person who has already been awarded an honorary degree of the University of London, or who has declined to accept a University of London award.
  • Candidates should not be currently employed by the University.
  • A candidate's main contribution should not lie chiefly in service to the University.
  • Goldsmiths is able to award Honorary Degrees itself where this award is deemed more suitable by the Committee.

In the space below, please give your reasons for nominating this individual. Please do not disclose your nomination to the nominee or others until the nomination has been approved by Council and accepted by the nominee.

It would be helpful if your reasons could include how your nominee does, or could in the future, further the aims of the University. Please also indicate any contact you have with the individual, for example, whether you have a professional or personal relationship, giving full details, to help the Committee with its consideration and in making recommendations to Council.

I would like to nominate this candidate because ... (minimum of 250 words)
A full academic CV is strongly advised when nominating an academic for an Honorary Doctorate.
* Data protection
This form will be provided to members of the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Committee. We may also contact you for further information if required.

If you have any queries relating to a nomination or the Honorary Degrees and Fellowships Awards process you can contact the Committee Secretary by emailing Governance

Please note: Nominators should not share a family connection with their proposed nominee, nor shall self-nominations be accepted for consideration.