YES AwardsYouth Empowerment & Service

Nomination Form Guide

Everything you need to prepare a YES Award nomination

Use this document to gather every detail before you begin the online form. Each of the nine sections is listed below with its fields, requirements and options. When you are ready, start the nomination on the portal — your progress is saved automatically.

9 sections Auto-saved draft Eligibility checked first

How to use this guide

  1. 1. Review the eligibility checklist below to confirm your nomination is likely to qualify.
  2. 2. Gather the information for each section — all fields are mandatory and must be completed to submit.
  3. 3. Prepare your narrative answers and evidence files in advance; the online form lets you save and resume at any time.
  4. 4. When all nine sections are complete, submit. You will receive a reference number and the nomination is locked for editing.

Before you begin

Eligibility checklist

All answers must be Yes to continue.

  • 1Is the nominee currently a school student within the eligible age or year group?
  • 2Has the nominee led or made a significant personal contribution to the project?
  • 3Has the project been active for the minimum period required for this award edition?
  • 4Are you (the nominator) over 18?
  • 5Do you know the nominee in a professional capacity?
  • 6Is supporting evidence available?
  • 7Is an independent referee available?
  • 8Has the nominee and guardian, where applicable, agreed to the nomination?

The nine sections

1Nominator2Nominee3Guardian4Project5Leadership & Impact6Evidence7Referee8Declarations9Review & Submit
1

Step 1 of 9

Nominator details

You, the person making the nomination. You must know the nominee in a professional capacity and be over 18.

Full nameRequired
Email addressRequired

This cannot be the same as the nominee or referee.

Mobile numberRequired
Format: +971 50 123 4567
Role or professional titleRequired
Organisation or schoolRequired
CountryRequired
City or townRequired
Length of time you have known the nomineeRequired
Years + months
Professional relationship to the nomineeRequired
Teacher · School Counsellor · Principal or Head of School · Head of Year · NGO Supervisor · Project Supervisor · Coach or Mentor · Community Leader · Employer · University or College Faculty · Government or Public-Sector Representative · Other Professional Relationship
How have you observed the nominee's work?Required
Narrative — up to 200 words
Are you related to the nominee?Required

A warning is shown if yes; the eligibility policy on related nominators applies.

Yes / No
I confirm I am over 18Required
Yes / No
2

Step 2 of 9

Nominee details

The young person you are nominating. Their age is checked against this edition's eligibility rules.

Full legal nameRequired
Preferred nameRequired
Date of birthRequired

Age is calculated automatically and checked against edition age limits.

AgeRequired
Calculated automatically
GenderRequired

Collected where genuinely required and legally appropriate.

Email addressRequired
Mobile numberRequired
School or institutionRequired
Grade or year groupRequired
Year 7 / Grade 6 · Year 8 / Grade 7 · Year 9 / Grade 8 · Year 10 / Grade 9 · Year 11 / Grade 10 · Year 12 / Grade 11 · Year 13 / Grade 12 · Other
Curriculum or educational systemRequired
CityRequired
State or provinceRequired
CountryRequired
NationalityRequired
Photograph URLRequired
https://…
Personal website or professional profileRequired
Short biographyRequired
Up to 250 words
3

Step 3 of 9

Parent or guardian details

Required when the nominee is under 18 (or when the edition safeguarding policy requires it). Guardian contact details are never shared with jury members.

Parent or guardian full nameRequired
Relationship to nomineeRequired
Mother, father, legal guardian…
Email addressRequired
Mobile numberRequired
CountryRequired
Consent statusRequired

The guardian receives a secure email to confirm consent.

Not Requested · Consent Requested · Consent Received · Consent Declined

Workflow: after submission the guardian receives a secure email, reviews the consent statement and confirms or declines. Their contact details remain private to the administration team.

4

Step 4 of 9

Project overview

Describe the project the nominee leads. Selectable cards are used for categories, geographic reach and SDGs.

Project titleRequired
Project taglineRequired
Project start dateRequired
Is the project ongoing?Required
Yes / No
Project end dateRequired

Only if the project is not ongoing.

Project websiteRequired
https://…
Organisation associated with the projectRequired
Project countryRequired
Geographic reachRequired
School or Institution · Local Community · City-Wide · State or Province · National · Multi-Country · International
Countries or regions impactedRequired

Added only when reach is multi-country or international.

Primary project categoryRequired
Education · Digital Literacy & AI for Good · Health & Hygiene · Climate Action · Environmental Sustainability · Poverty Alleviation · Gender Equality · Inclusion & Accessibility · Civic Engagement · Community Development · Financial Literacy · Human Rights · Animal Welfare · Other
Secondary project categoriesRequired

Up to 2.

UN Sustainable Development GoalsRequired

Select up to 5.

SDG 1–17
Direct beneficiariesRequired
Number
Indirect beneficiariesRequired
Number
Total beneficiariesRequired
Calculated automatically
Number of volunteersRequired
Number
Number of partner organisationsRequired
Number
Project funding or resourcesRequired
Current project statusRequired
Planning · Pilot Stage · Active · Expanding · Completed · Temporarily Paused
5

Step 5 of 9

Leadership and impact

Nine narrative questions — all mandatory — plus measurable impact metrics. Elaborate in detail; brief or one-line answers will not be accepted.

Narrative questions

1
Project SummaryRequired

Provide a clear overview of the project, who it serves and what it has achieved.

Up to 150 words

2
Problem or Community NeedRequired

Describe the problem the project was created to address. Include relevant local context or evidence where possible.

Up to 200 words

3
Nominee’s Personal Role and LeadershipRequired

Explain what the nominee personally initiated, led, designed or delivered. Clearly distinguish the nominee’s contribution from the work of adults, schools, NGOs or other team members.

Up to 300 words

4
Actions and ImplementationRequired

Describe the main activities, milestones and methods used to implement the project.

Up to 300 words

5
Outcomes and Measurable ImpactRequired

Explain the results achieved. Include measurable changes, beneficiary information, feedback, independent verification or before-and-after evidence.

Up to 350 words

6
InnovationRequired

What makes the nominee’s approach original, creative or particularly effective?

Up to 200 words

7
Sustainability and Future PlanRequired

Explain how the project will continue, grow, transfer leadership or remain sustainable.

Up to 250 words

8
Challenges and LearningRequired

Describe a significant challenge and how the nominee responded to it.

Up to 200 words

9
Why Should This Nominee Receive a YES Award?Required

Explain why the nominee demonstrates exceptional youth leadership, service and long-term commitment.

Up to 200 words

Measurable impact metrics

Add one row per metric. For each: label, value, unit and basis (Exact figure · Verified estimate · Approximate estimate). Negative values are not permitted.

6

Step 6 of 9

Evidence and media

Add documents, links or media that demonstrate the project's impact. Secure upload is preferred over public links.

For each evidence item

TitleRequired
CategoryRequired
Project Report · Impact Evidence · Photograph · Video · Video Link · Media Coverage · School Verification · NGO Verification · Beneficiary Feedback · Financial or Resource Evidence · Certificate · Reference Letter · Impact Spreadsheet · Other
LinkRequired

Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, website, YouTube… Secure upload is preferred.

https://…
Or upload a fileRequired

Any document, image or video.

PDF, DOCX, PPT, XLS, images, video

Video must not exceed 50 MB

Short descriptionRequired
DateRequired
SourceRequired

Contains images of minors

Publication permission obtained

May be shown to jury members

May be used publicly if the nominee wins

7

Step 7 of 9

Independent referee

An independent professional who can verify the nominee's contribution and the project's impact. The referee cannot be the nominator, the nominee, or a family member.

Referee full nameRequired
Professional titleRequired
OrganisationRequired
Relationship to nomineeRequired
Email addressRequired
Mobile numberRequired
CountryRequired
Number of years knownRequired
Number
How is the referee familiar with the project?Required
Narrative — up to 200 words
Is the referee independent of the nominator?Required
Yes / No
Is the referee related to the nominee?Required
Yes / No

After submission the referee receives a secure verification email. Their confidential response is never visible to the nominator.

8

Step 8 of 9

Declarations and consent

Confirm each declaration. Checkboxes are never preselected. Policy links open in a new tab.

  • I confirm that the information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
  • I confirm that the nominee is aware of this nomination.
  • I confirm that I am authorised to provide this information.
  • I consent to YES Awards contacting me for verification.
  • I understand that YES Awards may contact the nominee, guardian, school, organisation or referee.
  • I confirm that uploaded evidence has been shared lawfully.
  • I confirm that appropriate permission has been obtained for photographs or videos containing minors.
  • I agree to the Nomination Terms and Conditions.
  • I have read the Privacy Policy.
  • I have read the Safeguarding Policy.
  • I understand that submitting a nomination does not guarantee selection.
Typed digital signatureRequired
Type your full name
Date signedRequired
Auto-filled
Additional declaration noteRequired

All declarations must be confirmed to submit.

9

Step 9 of 9

Review and submit

A final summary of every section. Use the Edit links to return to any step before submitting.

Once you submit:

  • The nomination is issued a reference number.
  • Editing is locked; the status becomes “Under administrative review”.
  • The guardian and referee each receive a secure verification email.
  • You can track progress from your nomination dashboard.

Ready to begin?

Start the eligibility check and the online nomination form. Your progress is saved automatically as you go.

Start your nomination
YES AwardsYouth Empowerment & Service

Youth Empowerment & Service (YES) Awards · Nomination Form Guide · 2026

This guide is a reference document. The online portal is the definitive form and may be updated between editions.