A letter from Susannah Storey, DCMS Permanent Secretary, invites nominations for the ‘BD26’ Honours List.
DCMS writes:
Following the success of our previous Honours Information Sessions, we are pleased to announce two sessions for the BD26 round. These sessions will be similar to those we ran last time, so attendance is not necessary unless you wish to familiarise yourself with the honours process.
- 9 September 2025, 11:00 – 12:00 – All Sectors
- 11 September 2025, 14:00 – 15:00 – Specific to the Sport Sector
Susannah Storey writes:
2026 Birthday Honours List
I am pleased to invite you to identify candidates from within your sectors to be considered for recognition in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours.
It takes a wide range of talented people from across the UK to make DCMS’s sectors the success they are, and we rely on the continued support of organisations like yours to ensure the efforts of these individuals are properly recognised and celebrated.
Priorities of the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister would like to see the honours system be properly reflective of UK society. There should be representation from the length and breadth of the country and all sections of society, reflecting the incredible contributions made across every part of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister would like to see more recipients from underrepresented communities and would like to see further variety in the types of work rewarded. The honours system should also seek to reward individuals in all stages of life, young and old.
The Prime Minister is particularly keen to see more recipients from underrepresented communities and a greater variety of work being recognised. Honours should be awarded based on merit; individuals who have demonstrated service above and beyond the call of duty, rather than simply by virtue of their job or position. Awards for local champions should be prioritised, in addition to those that have shown real delivery and an impact to citizens through their actions to better the lives of others, driven forward national renewal, and secured our future as a society.
In particular, the Prime Minister would like to see the honours system recognise:
- Those working to deliver and reinforce the Strong Foundations of the UK through economic stability, national security, and border security.
- Those working to Kickstart Economic Growth, delivering economic stability, and increasing productivity in every part of the country, to make everyone better off.
- Those working to Rebuild Britain, working to deliver a transformational 1.5 million homes, and building the infrastructure this country needs.
- Health professionals working to build an NHS fit for the future, reducing waiting times and ensuring fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.
- Those working to ensure Safer Streets, preventing and addressing crime, such as violence against women and girls and knife crime, and improving their communities.
- Those working to build a more cohesive society, empowering individuals in our villages, towns, and cities.
- Those driving growth across our sectors, highlighting the social purpose and values that give meaning to people’s lives and communities.
To support these priorities, we want to ensure that people from every part of the country are recognised. Many of our public bodies and partner organisations have offices across the UK, so we encourage you to use your networks to identify individuals who may be less well-known but have still made a significant positive impact on others. We are particularly eager to see nominations for individuals from underrepresented groups, including those from the North East of England and women at more senior levels.
The team will host two online sessions, one geared towards Sports organisations and the other a general session open to all sectors (if Sports organisations cannot join their session, the other general session would still be useful and if those in other sectors cannot join the general session, the Sports session will still have useful information and they can join it)….
The DCMS Honours Team is available to assist with any questions you may have about the process.
Contact honours@dcms.gov.uk for further information….
