
Awards Rules
Eligibility & Submissions
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Check with your college society officer as to your society’s eligibility to enter the BICS awards. If in doubt, email info@bics.ie
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Your college must be a member of BICS. Your college must nominate you and there can be only one nomination in each category from each member college.
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You must meet all the award nomination criteria and meet all deadlines, see nominee information booklet and website.
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It is very important that if you are representing more than one category that you inform BICS at the time of submitting your nomination, so that we can ensure that your interview times do not clash.
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A group whose main activity is recognized by Student Sports Ireland as a sports club and/or is an Olympic Sport may not enter for an award at BICS
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Portfolios
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If a portfolio is required for your category the nominee must provide just one portfolio, which includes all back up material. Portfolios will be required to be at the hotel for judging on Wednesday 10th April. If you are nominated in more than one category, you must have one portfolio for each category.
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Awards Specific Rules
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To be eligible to enter Best Society (in a Cultural or Social Field), Best Society (in a charity or Civic Field) Best Academic, and Most Improved Society categories your society must have been set up for a minimum of two years from March 11th
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A society may not be nominated for more than one of the following awards in the one year:
Best Society (Cultural or Social Field)
Best Society (Charity or Civic Field)
Best Society (Academic/Departmental)
Most Improved Society
Best New Society
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To be eligible a new society must be in its first two academic years from March 11th (i.e. for the 2024 awards, set up after March 11th 2022) The exception is if you were nominated and won for ‘Best new Society’ at BICS last year and attended BICS, in this instance you may not enter for Best New Society again but may enter for Best Society (either Academic/Cultural/Social or Charity/Civic).
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A society entering Most Improved Award must in existence for a minium of 2 years and be able to demonstrate their improvement year on year for this period.
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Events must take place during Academic Year 2023/2024
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A Best Fresher is deemed a society member who is in their first year at their first HEI ie: a student in the first year of a graduate course is not deemed a Fresher. – it is up to each college to nominate an individual who adheres to this criterion.
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A society which wins Best Departmental two years in a row may not enter this category for the third year in a row. They can enter another category.
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Best Intervarsity must have take place after 3rd April 2023. 2 entires per college are allowed for this award.
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If you are applying for the Award you most have hosted the Inter Varsity.
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The event must be solely organised by at least one society in a member college.
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In addition to the host college at least 2 other Irish colleges must have
participated (they do not all have to be members of BICS) -
The event must be open to all colleges on the island of Ireland (not all
colleges must attend but there must be no restrictions imposed by the host college) -
The event may be open to non-students but in an audience capacity only.
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Please check individual applications for rules specific to each category.
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