The University of East London was awarded two silvers and a highly commended award at the 2021 HEIST Awards on Thursday 15 July - awards that celebrate extraordinary work from across the sector, from small regional colleges to huge global brands.

The University's marketing team was recognised in eight categories: marketing team of the year, best undergraduate student recruitment campaign, best brand and reputation campaign, best low budget initiative (under £15k), rising star award, best alumni initiative, best undergraduate prospectus and best postgraduate prospectus.

UEL was awarded a silver award for best undergraduate student recruitment campaign #BeTheChange and a silver for best low budget initiative category. Ana Sheppard also won a highly commended award for the rising star category.

David Smith, head of marketing, said, "We are delighted that the #BeTheChange campaign has been recognised with a silver award in the best undergraduate student recruitment campaign category at this year's Heist Awards.

"Having an exciting institutional vision to build our work around has given us the platform to create a recruitment campaign that truly resonates with our audience and speaks to the challenges and opportunities of the world today.

"The marketing team has put everything into creating the campaign and we are extremely proud of the impact that it has made on students and the results that it has achieved for the University."

The campaign sought to reach under-represented audiences with an inspiring message that reinforced the important role that education plays in our society as well as gesture towards a positive future in these difficult times.