MRS Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Changemaker of the Year 2025

This award, initiated by Truth, seeks to recognise individuals in the research, insight and data analytics sector who are motivated to make meaningful change in the equality, diversity and inclusion space.

The judges are looking for people with stories to tell about what has inspired them to initiate transformation, remove barriers and create environments in which others – whether colleagues, research participants or the wider world – feel a sense of belonging and safety.

This award reflects the MRS EDI Council and Truth’s commitment to relentlessly drive forward and embed positive change across the sector, making equality, diversity and inclusion an integral measure of success for ourselves and our clients. 

What the judges are looking for:

• Individual Changemakers who must work in research, insight or data analytics, including support and operations roles. Individuals who influence the sector more broadly will also be considered.
• Changemakers must submit a max. two minute personal video explaining why they are passionate about impacting EDI in the sector.
• Changemakers must  submit 500 words outlining how they have done TWO or more of the following:

Two or more of the following:

• Contributed to making a tangible or measurable impact within research, expressly in moves to make the sector more inclusive of all those we seek to represent
• Worked within their organisations to ensure systems are in place to go beyond access to the sector through inclusive recruitment principles, working with team-mates to ensure talent is retained through an environment actively hospitable to and encouraging of difference
• Have been responsible for implementing training programmes to inform and educate wider teams, to ensure cultural change, empathy and understanding to inform organisational structures
• Successfully delivered research which furthers the mission of equity, diversity, and inclusion across sectors, bringing clients and stakeholders on the journey to change with actionable, policy implications 
• Have a proven record of delivering change in the context of research projects or internal initiatives, working in partnership with clients and/or organisations to effect change
• Have forwarded the cause of research, or the campaigns that are most important to the sector across equality, diversity and inclusion causes

Changemakers will be profiled on the MRS website and invited to the Excellence Awards lunch on 6 June, where an overall winner will be announced.

The winner will:

• receive the MRS EDI Changemaker trophy presented by Truth at the Excellence Awards lunch

• receive a donation to their chosen equality, diversity and inclusion initiative or charity of the value of £500
• receive a £500 personal thank you prize money from Truth

How to enter

Each entry should comprise of one personal video and one written submission and be emailed to researchawards@mrs.org.uk by midnight on 28 March. If your video file is too large to send via email, it can be sent via a file transfer site (such as WeTransfer) to the same address.

Guidelines for the video

Videos should let the judges understand why you are passionate about effecting change in the EDI space. Please ensure the video:

• Is a maximum of two minutes long
• Features only the entrant. No other person should appear or be heard in the video.
• Tells us more about you and your motivations. The content should be different from the written submission.
• Contains no introductory text or slides.
• Is supplied in one of the following formats: ‘.AVI’, ‘.MP4’, ‘.FLV’, or .MOV.

Guidelines for the written submission

The written submission should be a maximum of 500 words and specify which of the criteria you meet and how you have met them. Please include evidence of what you have achieved and the impact it has had. Emphasise your individual contributions rather than changes your organisation has made.

Judging will take place throughout April and the EDI Changemaker finalists will be announced at the beginning of May.