HELP US TO RAISE £5,000 BY PRIDE MONTH
The Queer Student Awards (QSAs) were founded five years ago by freelance early careers and DEI consultant Steve Keith. The awards are an annual celebration of the young LGBTQ+ people, and the spaces that support them, who are proudly leading in their lives and local communities. They bring together young LGBTQ+ people, educational institutions and employers for the first time in the UK.
“I couldn’t find an event that focused on providing a safe space to recognise and celebrate the work young Queer people do supporting and liberating the LGBTQ+ community...so I created one.” Steve Keith speaking in 2021
HISTORY
The awards first took place on Zoom (due to the restrictions of the pandemic) and have since grown into a live hybrid event hosted in a new UK city each year. In 2025 the QSAs will be taking place in Liverpool at the Royal Liver Building and we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary. Previous events have taken place in Manchester and Birmingham.
Since QSA2021 we have:
- Recognised 223 finalists
- Celebrated 50 winners
- Named 4 champions, our ‘Queer of the Year’
WHY THE QSAs ARE IMPORTANT
We have recently asked some of our previous winners why the QSAs are important:
”Higher education is such a unique place for queer people; for many it's their first time being able to explore and engage with their community and queer identity. This creates a breeding ground for incredible events, movements and joy that can impact every area of our lives, our social lives, hobbies, politics etc, but this can sometimes go unrecognised on a larger scale. The QSA's are a place where this melting pot of queer joy and activism gets spotlighted, without being tokenised.” Annabel Lee, Activist of the Year 2021
“Young LGBTQ+ people are navigating a lot of things as they move through school, university and the early years in the workplace. It can feel like there is a lot of pressure to come out and to be our authentic selves, and often it doesn't come with any kind of celebration of how brave we are to share these very intimate and personal stories. So having spaces like the QSAs, which celebrate and acknowledge the brilliance that comes with sharing our experiences and ourselves, allows young LGBTQ+ folks the supportive safe space to be themselves and to know that that is something worth celebrating. Every year I read the shortlists and the achievements and I feel so proud of all that the collective community has achieved - and I've found some great role models and inspiration. I love the QSAs for giving young Queer Folks a chance to shine and to feel seen.” Laura Wells, Graduate of the Year 2022
“Being able to celebrate the achievements of young LGBTQ+ people and recognise the hard work that goes into planning projects, being an activist and fighting for the community is invaluable. Giving these groups, individuals, employers and institutions such recognition inspires more people to get involved and helps existing projects gain momentum to grow and flourish. Never underestimate the impact that celebrating young people's achievements can have!” Luna Middleton-Roy, Queer of the Year 2024
You can find out more about why we think the QSAs are an important, and vital, event for young LGBTQ+ people in this free download which also shares feedback we have had from the event and more detail on the success of the event to date.
BECOME A ‘FRIEND OF THE QSA’
We are looking for individuals and/or businesses who can donate towards our 2025 fundraiser. We would like to raise £5,000 by 26th June 2025. The money raised will be used to:
- Support the delivery of the event this year (we have some wonderful partners who are already supporting us financially but our budget for 2025 is significantly smaller than it has been for the last two years)
- Ensure that the event remains free to student finalists attending (all student finalists are gifted a free ticket to attend the event, if we can extend this to all students attending we love to do this)
- Secure a venue for 2026 by the end of this year (we need a deposit to do this and funds are running low which will restrict our ability to do this)
Donations of all sizes are welcomed, however, for guidance for each £50 we receive we will be able to offer one free student ticket student. For donations in excess of £500 we suggest that you contact us about becoming a partner via email at [email protected].
‘Friends of the QSA’ who donate (and shares their name when doing so) will be added to the homepage of the QSA website and mentioned during the live final in Liverpool in addition to the rewards outlined on this page.
Thanking you Queerly in advance for your support.
Follow us on social media:
YouTube - you can watch a highlights reel of QSA2024 here
Find out more about The Queer Student Awards on our website at thequeerstudentawards.co.uk