The award is judged by a panel of young people and sector experts on four areas: voter registration; knowledge of democracy; student participation; and student-led social action.
We believe it is critically important that young people begin to engage with democracy from a young age, whether that is voting for their representatives on the school council or getting involved in social action campaigns. The award is funded by Cabinet Office and supported by HM Government. The award celebrates and shares the success of schools that go further in equipping their students with the skills and knowledge to play a full and active part in society, through high-quality teaching, student voice and social action projects.
The award is judged on four themes and against 11 specific criteria:
For a school to be considered for a Discovering Democracy Award, a teacher will need to fill out an application including a self-assessed mark out of 5 for each criterion, a brief description of activities for at least 6 criteria, and a case study for at least three of the criteria.
First, give your school a mark out of 5 for the section, with one representing very little or no activity and 5 representing multiple great activities. You will them need to write a brief description of the activities for each section. Complete at least three case studies of particular events or activities although you can complete more. You do not have to have done activities for each section to achieve an award as we are more focused on the quality of your activities. You will need to complete at least 6 sections to be considered for an award. You can write up to 150 words for each section of text.