Awards Rules

Eligibility & Submissions

Check with your college society officer as to your society’s eligibility to enter the BICS awards. If in doubt, email info@bics.ie

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. The exception is Best Intervarsity.

You must meet all the award nomination criteria and meet all deadlines, see nominee information booklet and website.

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.

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

Portfolios

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 5th April. If you are nominated in more than one category, you must have one portfolio for each category.

Awards Specific Rules

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 with the exception outlined in No. 13.

A society may not be nominated for more than one of the following awards in the one year:

Best Society (in a Cultural or Social Field)

Best Society (in a charity or Civic Field)

Most Improved Society

Best New Society

Best Departmental Society

To be eligible a new society must be in its first two academic years from March 11th (i.e. for the 2023 awards, set up after March 11th 2021) 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).

A Best Fresher is deemed a society member who is in their first year in a third level institution – it is up to each college to nominate an individual who adheres to this criterion.

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.

Best Intervarsity must have take place after 1st April 2022 and before 3rd April 2023
The event must be organised by at least one society in a member college.
In addition to the host college at least 2 other 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.