RCSLT Awards 2026 shortlist announced

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

We received over a hundred nominations across all the award categories this year, showcasing the breadth of activities and achievements taking place to improve the lives of people with communication and/or swallowing needs. Thank you to all of those who submitted nominations and helped us to recognise the work across our community.

We are pleased to announce the shortlisted nominees for the categories below. We will be announcing the final winners for each of these categories, alongside our Honours Awards winners, at our annual RCSLT Awards event in London on
19 November.

Championing the value and impact of speech and language therapy

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

Find out more about the RCSLT Awards 2026.