The 2026 Campion Award for Excellence in Official Statistics is now open for applications.
The prize, which is awarded by the Royal Statistical Society in partnership with the UK Statistics Authority and Civil Service World, recognises outstanding innovations, developments and challenges faced by government statisticians, whether it’s working to improve regular outputs or innovating to solve new problems and policy priorities.
It is named in honour of former RSS president, the late Sir Harry Campion, who was also the first director of the UK Central Statistical Office, the forerunner to the Office for National Statistics.
Last year’s winner was the Early Years Data and Analysis Team at Ofsted for their work delivering essential insights for both policymakers and the public. Read CSW's interview with the team's leader here.
Commenting on the launch of this year’s nominations, Penny Young, interim chair of UKSA, said: “This award is a celebration of the inspiring work taking place across the UK, and a reminder of the breadth and depth of our statistical system.
“I have been impressed by the resourcefulness and dedication of colleagues working in the Government Statistical Service, and we can’t wait to see how they have innovated in response to challenges and opportunities.”
The deadline for entries is Friday 10 April.
The RSS has also opened entries for its 2026 Award for Statistical Excellence in Trustworthiness, Quality and Value, which is presented in partnership with the Office for Statistics Regulation and CSW.
Now in its seventh year, the award recognises excellence in the voluntary application of the “pillars” of trustworthiness, quality and value that stand at the heart of OSR’s recently refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics.
Commenting on the award launch, RSS chief exec Dr Sarah Cumbers, said: “Trustworthiness, quality, and value are all about putting users first in the production of statistics, and it has been fantastic to highlight, over the years, the breadth of organisations committing to these principles through this award.”
Ed Humpherson, director general for regulation at OSR, added: “This award marks an important annual milestone in our efforts to broaden the use and application of the code of practice beyond official statistics, continually championing the value and impact of TQV across a growing community committed to serving their users.”
The deadline for entries is noon on 1 May 2026.