Hull College Celebrates Six Educate North Awards Nominations

Students and staff at Hull College are celebrating after the college was shortlisted in six categories at the Educate North Awards 2025 – the North’s most prestigious celebration of excellence in education.

The nominations include the coveted Further Education College of the Year category, an award the college won at last year’s Educate North Awards ceremony following its remarkable transformation and unwavering commitment to excellence – which included its best Ofsted result since 2008 having been graded ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for its adult provision.

Among the shortlisted entries is the college’s ‘Join The Journey’ campaign, which has been recognised in the Campaign of the Year category. Featuring compelling visuals and authentic storytelling, the campaign used powerful images and real stories to highlight the key values of resilience, community, and ambition, while inspiring students of all ages to take control of their futures.

Other successful nominations have come in the Community Engagement Award – HE/FE Sector, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Award, Leadership and Innovation Award, and The Sustainable Green Initiative categories, illustrating the depth and diversity of the college’s impressive achievements.

Principal & CEO of Hull College, Debra Gray MBE, said:

“We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted for such a wide range of awards at the Educate North Awards 2025, alongside other great colleges and universities across the North of England. These nominations are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, students, and entire ‘Hullraisers’ community.

“Our commitment to fostering an inclusive, sustainable, and innovative learning environment has been recognised, and we are excited to continue building on this momentum in the remainder of the academic year and beyond.”

The Educate North Awards celebrates world-class achievements across the University, Higher Education, Further Education, and Sixth Form sectors in the North of England. More than 20 special categories including University of The Year; Lifetime Achievement Award, FE College Of The Year and specialist trophies for music, performance arts and research will be announced on the night.

The winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of academics, business leaders, and experts from across the UK and announced at the 11th annual awards evening, taking place at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate on Thursday 3rd April 2025.

Emeritus Professor Ruth Ashford, Deputy Head Judge of the awards, said:

“We can’t wait to bring this vital community together again at a time of major change and some trepidation across the sector to showcase breakthroughs, developments and of course, best practice. We bring together judges from across academia, business, and from across the country to focus on the record numbers of entries we receive and the high standards we see which underlines the commitment and high bar which the North can achieve for the whole of the UK.”