Ahead of Tuesday’s King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU) Awards Ceremony, nominees from a range of different societies reflected on a year marked by ambitious events, growing communities and long hours behind the scenes.
For many students, the nominations represent the collective effort of committees and members who have helped shape student life across King’s this year.
KCL Politics Society President, Will, said he was “genuinely really chuffed” after learning about the nominations.
“Our committee has worked tirelessly throughout the entire year to bring as many great events and socials as possible,” he said.
After organising what was estimated to be 50 events across the year, he described the nominations as recognition for “hundreds of hours” of work put in by the committee. Reflecting on standout moments, he highlighted interviewing politicians, such as Richard Tice, and travelling to Budapest ahead of Hungary’s election, but said one secondary school outreach visit stood out most.
“Talking to young people about politics and their stake in democracy genuinely reminded me of why I do it all,” he said.
King’s Shakespeare Company (KSC), one of the most heavily nominated groups this year, also spoke about the significance of recognition after a demanding year.
Co-President, Emma, described her nomination as “a huge nod of appreciation for how much work really goes into running a society.”
KSC earned five nominations this year, including Group of the Year, after working to expand opportunities within the society.
“We’ve worked really hard to double the performance opportunities that we offer and to foster a real sense of community,” Emma said.
Henny, Co-President of KSC, also reflected on the atmosphere surrounding the society’s productions.
“Flowers, laughter, hugs and sometimes tears it is a beautiful image of just how much Shakespeare and KSC can bring.”
Sport societies also celebrated years of major growth and achievement.
Sanya and Marina from KCL Women’s Football Club said the club’s five nominations reflected the “effort and dedication” shown by every member throughout the year.
“[Their] favourite part of the year has been watching the society grow from the very beginning at the Welcome Fair and trials into a real community that feels like a family,” they said.
Meanwhile, Grace from KCL Women’s Cricket Club reflected on how dramatically the club has evolved during her time at King’s.
“When I joined in my first year, we would be lucky to have four people at training,” she said.
Now regularly fielding BUCS teams for the first time, the club celebrated both its growth and its first ever BUCS victory away at Essex.
One of the newest societies nominated this year, KCL Polo Club, also spoke about the challenges of building a society from scratch.
Founder Aliya described the nomination as “incredibly honoured”, explaining that establishing the club involved “a huge amount of work behind the scenes.”
Reflecting on seeing the team compete for the first time, she said:
“Only a few months earlier, the society did not exist — and suddenly there we were: KCL Polo, proudly representing the university.”
Academic societies also highlighted landmark events and collaborations this year.
GP Society pointed to its flagship pan-London conference as one of its proudest achievements. The President, Anoushka, said the event “highlighted the true impact that student societies can have,” while the committee described the Best Group nomination as recognition of an “incredible year” of panel events, teaching series and conferences.
KCL Surgical Society similarly highlighted its Microsurgery Conference, which brought together experts across multiple surgical specialties after months of planning.
KCL Robotics Society, nominated across five categories, celebrated a year of ambitious expansion. The President, Khulood, said they were “incredibly honoured” to see both leadership and the society’s achievements recognised.
The society highlighted its ‘Tomorrow’s Intelligence’ robotics panel event, which attracted more than 300 attendees and featured live demonstrations of humanoid robots and robot dogs.
“This nomination belongs to every single member who showed up to code, build, compete and celebrate with us,” the society said.
Creative and performance societies also reflected on years of artistic growth.
KCL Musical Theatre (KMT) described discovering their five nominations as “a fantastic surprise”, with the President, Lucy, saying she was “ecstatic because we know how much work goes into the society behind the scenes and on stage.”
The society said the Group of the Year nomination was especially meaningful because it recognised “every single person who has been involved with us in any capacity this year.”
Reflecting on their standout moment of the year, Lucy highlighted the closing night of Grease.
KCL Korean Hallyu Society also reflected on a year of major performance successes and large-scale collaborations across London universities.
The society said the nomination recognised “the passion and love everyone has contributed to our society throughout the year” and described the group as “a home away from home” for students interested in Korean entertainment and creative expression.
KCL Photography Society celebrated a year that included industry talks, magazine launches and themed photowalks.
The President, Kamile, said:
“Photography is for everyone and can be more than just a hobby.”
Chorus Society President, Annabelle, described her nomination as recognition of “the commitment of the entire committee and enthusiasm of our members.”
She particularly remembered rehearsals, “creative warmups” and “biscuit breaks” that helped friendships form beyond the society itself.
Newly established and niche-interest societies also reflected on finding communities at King’s.
KCL Vocaloid Society said its nomination represented “how much impact we were able to make as a new society centred around a relatively niche interest,” while Media Club celebrated the “amazing community” it had built during its first year.
Media Club highlighted collaborations including Spider-Fest, themed games nights and cross-society events designed to help students “de-stress and have fun.”
Similarly, the Social Sciences Society said one of its proudest achievements had been creating “a sense of community, representation, and belonging” for students during their first year as a society.
TEDx King’s College London also reflected on rebuilding the society this year, with a committee member, Bella, saying the nomination showed their “hard work and dedication” had been recognised.
The society highlighted its student speaker competition involving students from universities across London as one of its proudest achievements.
Across every nomination category, one message appeared consistently: societies viewed the awards not simply as recognition for events or achievements, but for the communities they had created.
As KCL Robotics Society put it:
“Robotics isn’t just about the hardware — it’s about the amazing community you build it with.”
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