The Royal Statistical Society’s Campion Awards are now open. Awarded in partnership the UK Statistics Authority and Civil Service World, the award is for those working in UK government statistics and rewards good practice and innovation in producing and presenting statistics for the public good.
Recognising work completed in the previous calendar year, it celebrates the role government statisticians play in answering some of society’s most important questions. Last year’s winner was Ofsted for its bespoke data reports to help guide school inspections.
The award 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.
Dev Virdee, who chairs the judging panel, commented on this year’s launch:
‘During the pandemic, government statisticians have had to work tirelessly in challenging circumstances to ensure both policy-makers and the public have the information they need. Alongside long-running statistical products, new outputs to monitor the impact of Covid-19 have had to be rapidly developed. No doubt this year’s entries will be stronger than ever and reflect how these challenges have been met.’
Sir David Norgrove, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said:
‘The last 12 months upped the stakes for official statisticians and colleagues across the whole statistical system, and they have responded brilliantly. Their work is highly respected in government and by the public, trusted to keep them informed and able to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic.
I’m thrilled to invite nominations to award the very best of this work and I look forward to reading more of their achievements in such challenging circumstances.’