There are many ways to enrich your experience with us – and the Spirit of Sussex Award is our way of recognising what you’ve achieved. Find out more about the scheme.
About the Award
The Spirit of Sussex Award (SoSA) helps you uncover and celebrate the activities that are meaningful to you by rewarding your experiences beyond the classroom. It enables you to showcase your achievements and to prepare for life after graduation.
The Award recognises that making time for the things that are important to you is an essential part of thriving at university and demonstrates how your chosen activities contribute to your own social, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing and to the lives of others.
The Award will support you in communicating the value of your experience at Sussex to future employers, education providers and social networks.
SoSA is also a way to explore the University’s transformational themes of Environmental Sustainability, Human Flourishing and Digital and Data Futures that are core to our Sussex 2035 Strategy.
The Award is open to all Undergraduate and Postgraduate students at Sussex, as well as students at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). By taking part in different activities, such as part-time work or volunteering, you can collect badges towards either a Bronze, Silver or Gold Spirit of Sussex Award.
Start collecting badges today by visiting the Award platform and logging on with your University of Sussex email address.
Who can take part
The Spirit of Sussex Award is open to all undergraduate, Masters and research students at the University of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies and Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
You can start collecting points for the Award from the start date of your degree and you have the whole length of your course in which to complete it.
Your Award continues throughout a foundation year, placement year, year abroad and any repeat year. However, you can’t carry points over if you study another course with us (such as a Masters or PhD).
Find out more: watch this YouTube video which tells you more about how the Award works.
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How to earn badges
To get a Spirit of Sussex Award you need to earn badges.
The more badges you earn, the higher the Award:
- Bronze – 5 badges
- Silver – 10 badges
- Gold – 15 badges.
You log your badges on the Spirit of Sussex Award platform to work towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. Your progress bar automatically updates as you log points. Each time you reach an Award level, you will be notified and you can download your certificate and collect your SoSA pin from the Student Centre.
Activities that give you points
Find out more about the categories you can get involved with to start logging points towards your Award. Whatever co-curricular activity you do – big or small – there is a Spirit of Sussex Award category for you.
Professional development
This category is for activities that support your professional growth and development. These may include opportunities to build your professional skills, take meaningful steps toward your career goals, broaden your understanding of your field, or help others grow and thrive.
University community engagement
This category is for activities that demonstrate your engagement with your University of Sussex community. These may include exploring the university offering during Welcome Week, joining or leading a student group, representing your student community, or helping to build a sense of belonging among students.
Global and civic engagement
This category is for activities that show how you have contributed to positive change within your local and/or global communities, or how you have developed the skills and awareness needed to be an active global citizen.
Personal growth and wellbeing
This category is for activities that support your personal growth and overall health and wellbeing. These may include opportunities to maintain or enhance your physical, emotional, or mental wellbeing; develop positive financial habits; explore your sense of purpose, meaning, or identity; or take part in activities that help you feel connected and foster a sense of belonging.
Creative and cultural engagement
This category is for activities that support your own creative or cultural enrichment, as well as activities that help enrich the creative and cultural experiences of others. These may include opportunities to participate in, contribute to, or lead creative, artistic, or cultural activities; explore or share cultural heritage; or create spaces that celebrate creativity, diversity, and expression.
Logging your activities
Each time you complete a co-curricular activity you can log a badge in one of the above categories. You can log activities towards your Award by logging in via the Spirit of Sussex Award platform.
Use your Sussex email and password when logging into the platform. You will be prompted to open a form to submit activities and you will be required to upload your evidence and add a start and end date. You will also need to provide a self-reflective description of your activity. Do this for every activity you want to register towards your Spirit of Sussex Award. Just follow the instructions in the platform which explains what to do each step of the way. You can’t log the same activity more than once during your course – unless you participate with a new level of involvement.
Submission and achievement
Once you have gained the badges you need for a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award, you are ready for submission
Submissions will be ratified by a panel of SoSA Ambassadors three times a year, in November, March and July, so there are lots of opportunities for you to get your awards.
We look forward to seeing the activities you are doing as part of your student experience here at the University of Sussex.
For further information, please contact: sosa@sussex.ac.uk.