RCSLT Awards 2026

2026 Awards shortlist

Championing the value and impact of speech and language therapy

This award recognises an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to championing the value and impact of speech and language therapy services.

• Annette Morris – Raising awareness of aphasia through lived experience. Sharing her recovery journey following stroke and aphasia, Annette raised awareness and impact of speech and language therapy to thousands across Wales.
• Early Language and Communication Team – Putting SLTs at the heart of public health. This team brought speech and language therapy expertise to the heart of Scottish Government, influencing national policy and driving a preventative approach that supports children, families and communities.
• Jono Organ – Championing recovery and communication through ‘Life after Lary’. Through ‘Life After Lary’, Jono combined lived experience of laryngectomy with advocacy, education and peer support to help patients and families navigate life after voice box surgery.
• Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) Awareness Team – Raising global awareness of PPA. The PPA UK Leadership team built an international movement that increased awareness of PPA and highlighted the life-changing impact of speech and language therapy.

Co-production with service-user partners and their families

This award aims to celebrate effective joint planning and delivery; speech and language therapists working with service-users and their families; or with the third sector.

• Amy Faull – Making research accessible for people with learning disabilities. Amy co-led the DECODE project, enabling meaningful participation by people with learning disabilities, ensuring research reflects lived experience.
• Connect With Me Team – Supporting parents with child development and communication. Through a co-produced book, training programme and resources, the team equipped parents with practical strategies that strengthen early relationships and communication development.
• Laura-Jane Watson – Co-producing laryngectomy education. Laura-Jayne co-designed an innovative animation and learning resource to improve community professionals’ understanding of life after laryngectomy.
• Lucy Hughes – Shaping the future of DLD research. Lucy led an inclusive, UK-wide project that enabled people with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and their families to shape the future direction of DLD research.

Developing and supporting the profession

This award demonstrate excellence in innovations in recruitment, wellbeing, retention and/or improve opportunities for career progression. This includes new approaches within education and training in speech and language therapy.

• AI for SLT Team – Transforming AI education for SLTs. This team transformed artificial intelligence education for SLTs, building a trusted, free learning community of more than 2,000 SLTs, publishing a national survey and expanding the work through AI for Allied Health Professions (AHPs).
• Kirsty McLachlan – Shaping the future of advanced practice in Scotland. Kirsty co-authored Scottish Government guidance that is driving consistency, recognition and development of advanced practice roles across the UK.
• Lauren Flannery – Connecting learning and leadership pathways across AHP practice. Through ConnectEd and SPARK, Lauren developed innovative learning platforms that connect professionals, strengthen leadership and support career development across the AHP workforce.

Fostering equality, diversity and inclusion

This award seeks to recognise a project, initiative or service that has tackled systemic bias or health inequities to deliver better outcomes for an underserved group or groups.

• Llinos Mock – Co‑producing inclusive communication services. Llinos embedded lived experience into service design, improving accessibility, participation and personalised care for autistic people and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users.
• Maxine Whitmore – Championing inclusion for children with DLD. Maxine successfully advocated for three children with DLD to participate in a mainstream talent show, creating a powerful celebration of inclusion and opportunity.
• RAIN Collaborative Team – Improving liaison care for adults with learning disabilities. This team led a co-produced redesign of acute hospital systems, improving identification, communication support and safer care for adults with learning disabilities.
• Supporting Words and Sounds Team – Integrating meaningful inclusion. The SWanS team co-designed a new preschool intervention with inclusion, equity and lived experience at its core to improve access for under-represented communities.

Innovative solutions and new ways of working

This award seeks to recognise innovative ways of working that have been introduced and have the potential to become firmly embedded in our health systems.

• Bairns Hoose Tayside Team – Transforming communication for vulnerable children. This team established the world’s first SLT role within a Bairns Hoose model, improving communication support for children involved in forensic and therapeutic processes.
• Communication First Aid Kit Team – Expanding support in mental health services. The Communication First Aid Kit provides practical tools and training that help young people with communication needs engage more effectively with mental health support.
• Early Parkinson’s Speak Out Move More Team – Transforming early Parkinson’s support. The EPSOMM team co-produced an innovative programme combining movement and communication support to improve outcomes for people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Inspiring leadership in speech and language therapy

This award is for leaders in speech and language therapy at all levels who can demonstrate how they developed and used their leadership skills to benefit patients, clients, families and carers.

• Bindu Vekaria – Improving swallowing assessments and rehabilitation. Bindu led major quality improvement projects that expanded FEES services, improved Parkinson’s care and strengthened community speech and language therapy provision.
• Jill Bradley – Inspiring professionals through compassion and vision. Jill has led service innovation, partnership working and quality improvement initiatives that have enhanced outcomes for patients, families and staff.
• Lauren Flannery – Leading the evolution of communication access. Lauren led the Communication Access project from a university initiative to a scalable model influencing inclusive practice across education and healthcare settings.
• Siobhan Neild – Improving stroke care. Siobhan embedded speech and language therapy at the centre of stroke care, improving dysphagia management, patient safety and multidisciplinary working.

Rising star

This award is for anyone working as a speech and language therapist, apprentice, support worker, researcher, or educator who has been working in the profession or closely aligned to the profession for less than three years who has shown a level of initiative, skill and commitment that is truly exceptional.

• Catrin Khalbi – Championing Welsh-language practice. Catrin has rapidly become a passionate advocate for speech and language therapy, driving Welsh-language research and raising the profession’s profile across Wales.
• Lucy Macnamara – Advocating for the profession and its service-users. Lucy has demonstrated outstanding clinical leadership, advocacy and person-centred care while championing speech and language therapy through media and community engagement.
• Paige Price – Communication support in Youth Justice. Paige is the first person to acquire a speech and language therapy assistant role within youth Justice and quickly demonstrated that she is an essential and highly valued member of the multidisciplinary team via her accessible resources, and advocacy.
• Ruth Pepper – Building a global community for childhood apraxia. Ruth started a speech Apraxia support group, co-ordinating podcasts, mini-conferences and meetings, with interest and appreciation turning this small support group into an international treasure for families, SLTs, and researchers.

About the Honours Awards

The RCSLT Honours are an opportunity to recognise the achievements of our members as well as celebrate those who have supported and championed speech and language therapy and made a difference to the lives of service users.

The honours recognise leaders at all levels within and outside the profession who have made outstanding contributions for the benefit of service users and the profession itself. It’s a prestigious accolade which has existed since 1945.

The honours consist of two categories:
• Fellowships
• Honorary Fellowships

To nominate someone for a Fellowship or Honorary Fellowship Award, you must be a certified RCSLT member.

The Fellowship Award recognises speech and language therapists and speech and language therapy assistants who are members of the RCSLT and have demonstrated the impact of their work for service users and/or the profession, beyond what would be expected from their core role and job purpose.

The impact of their work might be at a local, national or international level or a combination of these. The impact may be felt within the profession and/or across other professions or sectors.

Any RCSLT member, no matter where they are employed or their level of seniority, can be awarded a Fellowship.

Honorary Fellowships acknowledge and honour non-members of the RCSLT who have demonstrated outstanding contribution to service users and the profession. This may include non-speech and language therapists and speech and language therapists from overseas.

Nominations are expected to provide evidence of impact and outcomes over and above what would normally be expected in their role.

All nominations for Fellowships and Honorary Fellowships require a seconder as well as a proposer.

Areas of contribution could include but are not exclusive to:

• Clinical
• Leadership
• Teaching
• Research
• Community impact
• Influencing and/ or policy impact
• Promotion of the profession
• Excellence in practice education

Download the Honours Roll Call 1945-2024 (PDF)

2024 Awards

We received almost a hundred nominations across all the categories, showcasing the breadth of work taking place across the UK. 

Award winners and Honours winners were announced on 24 October at our ceremony in Birmingham. 

The shortlisted nominees and winners were: 

Championing the value and impact of speech and language therapy 

• Invest in SLT Petition – championing the importance and need to invest in speech and language therapy to the Government 
• WINNER – Kim Jenkins  – outstanding contributions to raising awareness of the role of SLTs within youth justice 
• WINNER – Laura Cole – incorporating an SLT into the Greater Manchester mental health homeless service, providing access to the vulnerable homeless population 
• Sign it Sing it: Michael Carlin and the Tayside Makaton Choir – showcasing the benefits of Makaton and the joy it can bring to those with communication difficulties 

Co-production with service user partners and their families 

• WINNER – Communication Café – co-creating a space for people with communication difficulties 
• WINNER – The Coproduced EPID tool – early parent child interaction with deaf children 
• HCS Sheffield Dysarthria Clinic – the world’s first Dysarthria Awareness Day  
• RCSLT Autism Guidance project team – co-producing clinical guidance on autism in line with neurodiversity affirming practice 

Developing and supporting the profession 

• Dr Faiza Badar – training graduates to develop skills in speech and language therapy in Pakistan 
• WINNER – Head and Neck Integrated Team (HANIT): SLT fast-track education programme 

Excellence in research and development 

• Dysphagia as a prognostic indicator – recognising the correlation between dysphagia and death soon after to ensure timely and appropriate end of life care 
• WINNER – Katherine Toft – evaluating the clinical utility and psychometric properties of the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory questionnaire (MDADI) 

Fostering equality, diversity and inclusion 

• Lauren Flannery: Communication access project at UEA – promoting communication access for all 
• WINNER – Leigh Andrews: Change Communication – addressing communication barriers in homelessness services and beyond 
• Polmont Communication Friendly Environment – creating a better environment for young people with speech, language and communication needs in prison 

Innovative solutions and new ways of working 

• Communication Intervention Team (ComIT): Interactive SLCN/DLD RADLD Bubble Toolkit – providing resources to identify and support SLCN/DLD learners 
• WINNER – Head and Neck Integrated Team (HANIT) SLT workforce model – developing a unique, integrated service working together across different organisations 
• Implementing a Community FEES service within the South East London Community Head and Neck Cancer Team 

Inspiring leadership in speech and language therapy 

• Dysphagia NI – a regional partnership approach to support people with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties 
• WINNER – Lizzie King – leading on updating evidence on the use of thickened fluids to support patient care 
• Marian Molloy – developing the SLT service within Healthcare in Prison in Northern Ireland  

Rising star 

• WINNER- Paisley Ward – As a speech and language therapy apprentice, Paisley Ward for Dawn House School. She is a fantastic ambassador, being proactive and solution focused, sharing awareness and information about what to do when on placements. Colleagues appreciate her enthusiasm and the support she gives to the students, particularly the impact of using Makaton with younger pupils.

Special recognition: Co-production with service-user partners and their families 

• WINNER: HCS Sheffield Dysarthria Clinic – Collaboratively, the HCS Sheffield Dysarthria Clinic successfully launched the world’s first Dysarthria Awareness Day on 10 May 2024. Students at the University of Sheffield took on leadership roles as they co-produced campaign materials with clients and families including hosting inclusive workshops and in-person awareness raising events on their campus. Their strong branding has led to worldwide awareness through social media.