What are the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes?

This week, representatives from 21 UK universities and colleges will attend an awards ceremony at St James’s Palace where they will receive their Queen’s Anniversary Prize.

Granted every two years by the Queen, the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are the highest national honour awarded in UK further and higher education.

According to the Buckingham Palace, the prizes celebrate excellence, innovation and public benefit. The Prize-winners are recognised for work in a wide range of disciplines.

This year’s winners reflect the strong contribution of educational institutions to tackle some of the most urgent issues of the time, including COVID-19 and climate change, the palace said.

The prizes, managed by charity The Royal Anniversary Trust, were set up in 1993 to mark the Queen’s ruby jubilee.